The TBL Baseball Annual

A publication of the Transcontinental Baseball League

Realignment

2017 Edition

Walter H. Hunt All 24 Teams Analyzed Robert Jordan Using the T.Q. System Mark H. Bloom

The TBL Baseball Annual

A publication of the Transcontinental Baseball League

Walter H. Hunt Robert Jordan Mark H. Bloom with contributions from TBL’s managers

and extra help from: Paul Montague Clay Beard Ray Murphy Jim Dietz

This book was produced using a Macintosh with Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop CS4.

I can be reached by mail at

3306 Maplebrook Road, Bellingham, MA 02019

or by e-mail at [email protected].

The 2017 TBL Annual 3 the TBL baseball annual

Welcome to the 2017 TBL Baseball Annual. This is the twenty-second year of the Annual in the book format. This year we’re looking at realignment, and all the conse- quences; more than half of the teams in our league have changed addresses. There are new rivalries and new configurations, and thus new story lines for our magazine.

Our most senior manager brings us a great historical overview of our previous divisions and pennant races – how we came to our present arrangement. For our veteran managers, it’s a walk down memory lane; for our newer friends, it’s evidence of the depth and strength of our league.

A brief apology: time and gaps in knowledge have forced us to skip over the playoff descriptions this year. There were two epic series that went seven games, both mentioned in Year in Review articles: Melrose came within one key pitch of going to the World Series instead of Munich; and Maracaibo took Las Vegas in seven games before bowing to the Marauders.

Enjoy the Annual and enjoy the season.

Walter, Robert, Mark May, 2017

The T.Q. System Shamelessly stolen from the Mazeroski annual, the T.Q. System assigns points to each area of the team’s expected performance and totals the result. The maximum score under the T.Q. System is 50, divided as follows:

Pitching: 20 points Offense: 17 points Defense: 8 points Bench: 5 points

The T.Q. System does not take age or prospect value into account, only present capability. It does, however, consider usage (available games, at bats and innings).

4 The 2017 TBL Annual table of contents

FRONT MATTER Future Drafts 6 TQ Summary 7 Manager Roll Call 8 2017 Computer Pre-Play Clay Beard 9 Hall of Fame 10 The Vegas Line Paul Harrington 12 Realignment Paul Montague 14

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Clemente Division Whole New Ballgame 18 Calusa 20 Whitman 24 Riverwoolf 28 Blue Hill 32

Mays Division It All Comes Together 36 New Westminster 38 Maracaibo 42 Gotham City 46 Rye 50

Ruth Division No Mercy 54 Brobdingnag 56 Hoboken 60 Knoxville 64 Midwest 68

2016 World Series Report 72

NATIONAL CONFERENCE Aaron Division Rolling the Dice 86 Las Vegas 76 Strong City 80 Kansas 84 Melrose 88

Mantle Division Maybe Too Close To Call 92 Hudson 94 Munich 98 Detroit 102 Columbus 106

Williams Division Dogfight, Old School 110 Grand Cayman 112 Northboro 116 Zion 120 Warrenton 124

FINAL WORDS Breakthrough 128 Future 129 Editorial 130 Commissioner’s Report Ray Murphy 131 Scholarly Update 132 Curse Reversed: 2016 Edition Jim Dietz 134

The 2017 TBL Annual 5 future drafts

In many cases, what’s on the field isn’t the whole story. Some of our teams have quite a bit to say in future drafts, and any evaluation should properly take that into account. The graphical displays below show how much each team has in the tank. The middle 9 mark on the thermometer (9) represents a full draft (picks #1-#3) in 2017; above the base middle line is excess, while below means something’s missing. haves have nots

RIVERWOOLF. Their own #1 along with GOTHAM CITY. Their own #1 and #2. Strong City and Munich’s; four #2s. 25 7 KNOXVILLE. Two #1s, four #2s, and a #3. Unfortunately neither of the #1s is theirs: they MUNICH. No #1 or #2, but three #3s. 22 have Calusa’s and Cayman’s. MELROSE. Their own draft, plus New 6 Westminster’s #1. GRAND CAYMAN. Their #2 and #3.

HUDSON, BROBDINGNAG. Hudson has their own draft plus Las Vegas #1; 5 Brobdingnag has their own and Knoxville’s STRONG CITY. Two #3s. #1 and two #3s.

HOBOKEN. Their own draft and Midwest’s #2, which might be the first #2.

NEW WESTMINSTER, CALUSA. Just 12 their #3. NORTHBORO. Their own draft, with an extra #3. 2 all in balanced LAS VEGAS. They pick in rounds 5, 7 RYE, MIDWEST, BLUE HILL, KANSAS, and 9. WHITMAN. Their own drafts, likely 10 higher up. 0 DETROIT, ZION, MARACAIBO. Their own drafts. (Maracaibo actually has Gotham City’s #3.) These indicators also appear 9 at the bottom WARRENTON, COLUMBUS. Their own of each team article, draft, with a higher up #1 and no #3. for your convenience.

6 The 2017 TBL Annual t.q. summary TEAM (DIVISION) OFFENSE DEFENSE PITCHING BENCH TOTAL

The Cream of the Crop

Grand Cayman (Williams) 13.5 6.0 15.0 2.5 37.0 Brobdingnag (Ruth) 14.0 6.0 14.0 3.0 37.0 New Westminster (Mays) 11.5 6.0 16.0 2.5 36.0 Hudson (Mantle) 11.0 4.5 13.5 2.0 31.0 Northboro (Williams) 10.0 3.5 13.5 3.0 30.0 Las Vegas (Aaron) 11.5 6.0 11.0 1.5 30.0 Munich (Mantle) 9.5 6.5 11.5 2.0 29.5

The Solid Performers

Gotham City (Mays) 8.0 5.0 9.5 2.0 27.5 Maracaibo (Aaron) 8.0 5.0 12.0 2.5 27.5 Zion (Williams) 11.0 3.0 10.5 3.0 27.5 Calusa (Mays) 12.5 3.0 8.0 3.0 26.5 Hoboken (Ruth) 8.0 6.5 6.0 3.5 25.0

The Transitional Teams

Detroit (Mantle) 8.5 3.5 8.5 2.0 24.0 Strong City (Aaron) 8.0 7.0 7.5 1.5 24.0 Whitman (Clemente) 7.5 7.0 5.5 2.0 22.0 Rye (Mays) 6.5 3.0 5.5 2.5 21.5 Columbus (Clemente) 7.5 3.5 8.5 2.0 21.5

The Rebuilders

Kansas (Aaron) 6.0 5.0 7.0 1.5 18.5 Melrose (Aaron) 6.5 5.0 7.0 2.0 18.0 Riverwoolf (Clemente) 7.0 3.5 4.5 2.5 17.5 Knoxville (Ruth) 7.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 16.5 Warrenton (Williams) 5.5 4.5 4.0 2.5 16.5 Midwest (Ruth) 7.0 3.0 3.5 2.5 16.0 Blue Hill (Clemente) 7.0 4.0 2.5 2.0 15.5

Division Totals

National 322.5 (26.9 average) Williams (NC) 115.5 Mays (IC) 105.5 International 291.5 (24.3 average) Aaron (NC) 111.0 Ruth (IC) 94.5 Mantle (NC) 106.0 Clemente (IC) 81.5

The 2017 TBL Annual 7 manager roll call

Munich Marauders Mantle Division Paul Montague 34th year Hudson Generals Mantle Division Clay Beard 33rd year Elders of Zion Williams Division Richard Meyer 33rd year Gotham City Batmen Mays Division Anton Greenwald 32nd year Knoxville Outlaws Ruth Division Pat Martin 31st year Maracaibo Rumrunners Mays Division Walter Hunt 31st year

Brobdingnag Barbarians Ruth Division Joe Auletta 29th year Hoboken Zephyrs Ruth Division Steve Powell 28th year Grand Cayman Havens Williams Division Mark Bloom 27th year Melrose Avengers Aaron Division Mark Freedman 24th year Blue Hill Mudslides Clemente Division Mark Ludwig 22nd year Whitman River Rats Clemente Division Brian Hanley 22nd year Las Vegas Gamblers Aaron Division Paul Harrington 21st year

Northboro Phoenix Williams Division Robert Jordan 18th year Midwest Mongrels Ruth Division Darrell Skogen 16th year Northboro Phoenix Williams Division Steve Stein 15th year Strong City Statesmen Aaron Division Eric Sheffler 14th year Rye Herons Mays Division Craig Musselman 13th year New West Whiskeyjacks Mays Division Jim Jeatt 13th year Columbus Jets Mantle Division Vic Vaughn 11th year Kansas Koyotes Aaron Division Bill Schwartz 10th year

Warrenton Giants Williams Division Jack Chapman 9th year Detroit Stars Mantle Division Dave Jaskot 6th year Calusa Indians Clemente Division Gordon Rodell 3rd year Riverwoolf Sharks Clemente Division Daniel Dumont 1st year

Ray Murphy is serving his second year as our non-playing Commissioner.

Hall of Fame managers in Bold Italic.

8 The 2017 TBL Annual 2017 computer pre-play by Clay Beard

Here’s the setup for this thing. I used Duke Robinson Jr. best and worst seasons. That’s a to manage all the teams. I checked Fatigue only under wide spread even for this exer- Fatigue and Injury Rules. I also checked all three of the cise. By contrast Las Vegas and options at the bottom; Automatic AIM Subs, Enforce BFP, Brobdingnag were incredibly con- and that No PR > 930 thing, which provides some innocu- sistent, keeping it within 12 and ous usage. Something new this year is some “platoon 11 games respectively. awareness” thing which I checked. All players were active for the whole season. These settings basically allow the As usual the best races look to season to be played with usage similar to that of the MLB be the wild cards. The Williams second place team looks season with some innocuous help. to be a lock and Hudson looks like a solid 2nd, but there are Zion, Columbus, Kansas, and Detroit all lurk on the Then I just pushed the button and played the season 10 periphery with a real shot. How come after the alignment times. The won/loss records below indicate the average shuffle, the Mantle still looks treacherous, top to bottom. It of the 10 seasons. As always take this with a grain of salt looks like Whitman may be eating Calusa’s dust, but the as Duke is basically the village idiot. good news is they look like a solid wild-card. The best race may end up being for the second wild-card in the IC, with The only tight division race appears to be in the Williams Maracaibo, Gotham City and Hoboken all in the scrum. where Grand Caymen edges out Northboro. The incredibly inconsistent Generals have a chance to push Munich in the Mantle. Hudson had a 34 game spread between their

International Conference National Conference TYPICAL SEASON (rounded off) TYPICAL SEASON (rounded off)

Clemente W L GB Hi* Lo† Div‡ WC§ Aaron W L GB Hi* Lo† Div‡ WC§ CALUSA 100 62 -- 106 95 9 1 LAS VEGAS 95 67 -- 102 90 10 0 WHITMAN 87 75 13 99 74 1 5 KANSAS 81 81 14 94 71 0 2 RIVERWOOLF 67 95 33 73 60 0 0 STRONG CITY 71 91 24 78 58 0 0 BLUE HILL 59 103 41 71 50 0 0 MELROSE 69 93 26 80 62 0 0

Mays W L GB Hi* Lo† Div‡ WC§ Mantle W L GB Hi* Lo† Div‡ WC§ NEW WESTMINSTER 93 69 -- 101 88 7 3 MUNICH 95 67 -- 104 89 10 0 MARACAIBO 84 78 9 91 70 2 3.5 HUDSON 88 74 7 102 68 1 5.5 GOTHAM CITY 83 79 10 93 71 1 3.5 COLUMBUS 81 81 14 88 67 0 0 RYE 68 94 25 78 55 0 0 DETROIT 80 82 15 92 70 0 0.5

Ruth W L GB Hi* Lo† Div‡ WC§ Williams W L GB Hi* Lo† Div‡ WC§ BROBDINGNAG 107 55 -- 111 100 10 0 GRAND CAYMAN 99 63 -- 107 91 6.5 3.5 HOBOKEN 80 82 27 88 70 0 4 NORTHBORO 97 65 2 102 91 2.5 6.5 KNOXVILLE 65 97 42 77 54 0 0 ZION 83 79 16 95 71 1 2 MIDWEST 52 110 55 67 44 0 0 WARRENTON 60 102 39 75 50 0 0 fractions reflect ties.

* Highest number of wins recorded ‡ Division Championships (in 10 seasons) † Lowest number of wins recorded § Wild Card appearances (in 10 seasons)

The 2017 TBL Annual 9 hall of fame enshrinees 2017

Mike Piazza, C 1994-2008 Minnesota/Knoxville, Maracaibo, Oklahoma City/ Lewiston-Auburn, Rochester/Columbus

Like many other players in TBL, Mike Piazza’s services were in demand; he played for several different teams, adding punch to contending lineups. He hit more than 30 home runs eight times, ending with a career total of 409, tops among catchers. His best season was 1998, when he led the league with 200 hits and a .354 average to go with 34 homers.

Manny Ramirez, OF 1995-2008 Portland, Rye

One of the most dominant power hitters in TBL, Manny Ramirez recorded 2,302 hits and 1,136 walks in his 17-year career, mostly spent in the middle of the Portland Possum lineup. He had 8 seasons with 100+ RBI, with his .297-52-164 season in 2004 the biggest standout. He is among career leaders in HR, RBI, SLG and OBP.

Curt Schilling, SP 1991-2004 Munich, Statesmen/Overland Park, Whitman, Knoxville

One of the most durable starters in recent TBL history, Schilling posted a 216-132, 3.46 record in 17 seasons mostly spent with Whitman, who selected him in the expansion draft. He won 20 games three times, including 24-8 and 24-6 seasons. He twice topped 300 Ks. His 136 CG is fourth overall; he recorded 10 or more in 8 seasons.

10 The 2017 TBL Annual for your consideration

Left to Right: Mariano Rivera, Jim Thome, Chipper Jones, Jason Giambi

Mariano Rivera, RP 1996-2014 Jim Thome, 1B-DH 1994-2013 East Anglia, KnoxSox/Richmond, Maracaibo Munich, Rochester/Columbus, Brobdingnag.

A top flight closer, Mo notched 464 saves in his For many years Thome was one of the most dan- 19-year career, making him the all-time leader by gerous lefthanded power hitters in the game. He a considerable margin; nine times he exceeded 30 hit 568 homers, drove in 1,629 runs, and walked in a season and twice exceeded 40. He averaged a 1,602 times with a lifetime slash of .270/.391/.542. strikeout an inning over more than 1,100 innings, His two best seasons were 2002 and 2003 with allowing only 645 hits and only 58 home runs and Rochester; in 2002 he hit .319-51-170; in 2003, recording a 1.74 lifeime ERA. This is his second year .278-51-141. He drove in 100 or more runs 7 times of eligibility. and walked 100 or more times 6 times. This is his second year of eligibility.

Chipper Jones, SS-3B-OF 1996-2013 Jason Giambi, 1B-DH 1996-2012 Council/Summit Glen/Oklahoma City, Mahopac, East Anglia, Brobdingnag, Munich, Whitman. Maracaibo

One of the steadiest performers in TBL for a de- A dangerous power hitter, Giambi hit 451 home cade and a half, he hit 452 HR and drove in 1,617 runs in his TBL career, and walked 1,214 times. runs, with a career slash of .283/.370/.499. He hit From 2000 to 2003 he hit 30 homers or more, and .301-45-128 in 2000, .308-51-121 in 2002 with 203 from 2001 to 2006 walked 100 times or more five hits, and .335-36-98 in 2003 with 224 hits. Four times. His best season was 2001, when he hit .321- times he hit 40 or more doubles. This is his first year 55-168 with 151 walks, slugging .687, leading East of eligibility. Anglia to a 114-win season. This is his fourth year of eligibility.

Players with carryover votes: Mariano Rivera 6, Gary Sheffield 5, Ivan Rodriguez 5, Jim Thome 5, Chipper Jones 4, Chuck Finley 3, Juan Gonzalez 2, Todd Helton 2, 13 players with 1.

The 2017 TBL Annual 11 the vegas line by Paul Harrington

Mr. Harrington’s short takes on our TBL teams also three seasons, but that success ends appear in the team articles for your convenience. in 2017. Verlander & King Felix are solid, but only for 59 starts. BLUE HILL MUDSLIDES. This fran- Phenom Alex Reyes will make use of his Grade chise can’t seem to catch a break! They 21 (and only 46 innings) as the closer. Offense is haven’t seen above .500 since 2008. This still OK, but weak in spots. Won’t be pushing new year’s version has 45 starts at Grade 8 and high- division mate New West much in 2017. er. The rest are innocuous. Only Matt Bowman (Grade 11*) and John Axford (Grade 10*) have GRAND CAYMAN HAVENS. Whitey more than 50 innings available from the bullpen. Bulger’s former henchman associate, Another 100+ losses seem more than likely. Boomer Wells, has turned around this moribund franchise and made it into a playoff BROBDINGNAG BARBARIANS. The contender. Now someone needs to talk to Mr. 2017 edition of the Barbarians should Wells about his habit of shipping out traded bring a smile to Vlad’s lips (if that’s even players in burlap sacks and car trunks! possible). 113 starts of Grade 12 and above. Over 150 relief innings of Grade 21* or more and 230 HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS. Dr. Steve, then of Grade 18* and above! There is an All Star at owner of the Dallas Eagles, finished the almost every position. Should have the best record 2014 season at 48-114, one of the worst in TBL in 2017 and is the favorite to win it all. records in Eagles history. That offseason the franchise relocated to Hoboken, and every year since CALUSA INDIANS. Calusa Chief their record has improved. 54 wins in 2015 and 76 Gordon Rodell is entering his 2nd full sea- last year. 2017 is the year they break .500! Yeah! son as a TBL manager and would like to improve on last year’s 92-70 record. His rotation is HUDSON GENERALS. The Generals very good and deep, but is supported by only 50 could be a potent foe in 2017. Good rota- innings of Raisel Iglesias (Grade 22*) and a cast of tion, a deep pen, good hitting and power thousands in the Grade 12* to 10* range. Bullpen in the regular lineup. Their defense is somewhat help at the trading period would be useful. suspect, but certainly a wild card contender.

COLUMBUS JETS. The Jets’ rotation is KANSAS KOYOTES. The Koyotes were the envy of TBL! 114 starts of double really hit hard by the injury bug in MLB grade starts. Too bad there’s no back end 2016 and it shows in their rotation for this to the bullpen and the defense is subpar. They season. Harvey, Gray and Keuchel are all mere should still improve on last year’s performance. shadows of their former glory. Let’s hope it’s only a one year setback for Mr. Schwartz. DETROIT STARS. The Stars’ 52-110 record from 2016 was, hopefully, the bot- KNOXVILLE BLUE THUNDER. Pat tom of their fall and that 2017 will be the Martin is another in a long line of veter- 1st step upward. Will Myers turned into a nice an TBL managers beginning an arduous surprise at 1B. There is good young talent here rebuild. Many long time vets were shipped out that should only improve. and young talent took their places. Score cards will sell well in the Thunder Dome in 2017! A GOTHAM CITY BATMEN. The Batmen top five draft choice is all but assured. have averaged almost 98 wins these past

12 The 2017 TBL Annual LAS VEGAS GAMBLERS. In true Vegas versatile bullpen. Their offense is good enough to con- fashion, the Gamblers pushed everything tend in the new look Williams, or for a wild card spot. into the pot for 2017. It’s a good, solid team that should dominate the Aaron. But we have no mar- RIVERWOOLF SHARKS. New TBL gin for error. Win now is the Gamblers’ motto for this member Daniel Dumont has taken a year. We’ll worry about tomorrow…tomorrow! Taylorville franchise that won 94 games in 2016 and missed the playoffs by a single win MARACAIBO RUMRUNNERS. Walter’s and stripped it down to remake in his own warriors won the Aaron in 2016, held down image. Their win total will, probably, drop a good Las Vegas team and fell to a ridicu- about 25-30, but they could be trouble by 2019. lously good Munich team. The Rumrunners are back in 2017 and are a wild card favorite and will contest RYE HERONS. It took longer than expect- their new division with New West all season. ed, but Craig Musselmen has finally begun The Rebuild in earnest. Many established MELROSE AVENGERS. The Avengers vets were sent away and were replaced by guys may be run by superheroes, but their play- from the 2017 draft. Matt Kemp, Jeff Samardzija and ers have felt the ravages of advancing Kendrys Morales could be gone by the midseason age. Mark Freedman has dealt veterans and had a trading period. May contend for No. 1 pick. decent 2017 draft, but he didn’t strip them down completely…yet. STRONG CITY STATESMEN. A new venue for a team on the rise! Eric has done MIDWEST MONGRELS. The Guru is a great job revamping an aging Portland about to enter the first year of the Trea team into a promising young group. They’ll still take Turner Era in Midwest. There’s less than their lumps in 2017, but don’t ignore them either. half a season there, but what a half season! With only 38 starts at Grade 8 and above and nobody WARRENTON GIANTS. Trader Jack in the pen above Grade 14*, another top five is not exactly living up to his moniker draft pick seems likely. lately. His team definitely looks ready for a rebuild, yet players like MadBum and, especially, MUNICH MARAUDERS. 2016 TBL Aroldis Chapman, who is completely superfluous, Champion Munich is still enjoying the are still here. Chapman might leave at the midsea- offseason, rubber chicken circuit, but there son trading period for future considerations. is still plenty left in the tank for 2017. 100+wins, a Mantle Division crown and a deep playoff run WHITMAN RIVER RATS. Clayton seem all but guaranteed. No pressure, Monty! Kershaw is the leader of a staff with 105 starts above Grade 9. The bullpen doesn’t NEW WEST WHISKEYJACKS. After have a closer grade available, but lots of oppor- years of picking near the top of every draft, tunities for mixing and matching. The offense is the Whiskeyjacks seem poised to finally reduced from 2016, but we all know how much reach the combustion stage of ignition. Over 100 Brian can squeeze from lesser talent. Whitman starts of Grade 13 and higher is backed by a good, should give Calusa a run for the Clemente crown. if not great bullpen. The lineup has a good blend of young talent and solid veterans. Should win the ELDERS OF ZION. Rich Meyer’s 2016 Mays and make a deep playoff run. team lost 100 games for the 1st time in franchise history. This after dropping 98 NORTHBORO PHOENIX. This here is games in 2015. They are much improved for 2017, another team that’s on the upswing. One but still will have trouble staying in contention- of the best rotations in TBL is supported by a Somewhere around the .500 mark seems likely. The 2017 TBL Annual 13 realignment by Paul Montague

[Welcome to the 2017 TBL Baseball Annual! As in a season (“maxW”/”minW”), maximum always, we’re glad to have the chance to bring you wins for a team not in the playoffs (“first the best of current analysis and future prediction. out” in March Madness terminology) vs min- This year’s issue focuses on the realignment of our imum wins for a team in the playoffs (or “last divisions, after a dozen years of stability. It means in”), spread of division races (i. e., the games- more work for us, but we’re equal to it. Here’s a ter- behind between division winner and second rific leadoff article from the dean of TBL managers, Paul Montague. – Ed.] place teams - minimum and maximum across all divisions for a given season – call these Lions and Tigers and Realignment, Oh My! “minGB” and “maxGB”). I also looked at A Short History of TBL’s Divisions how many teams won 100+ and 110+ games, and Competitive Balance or won less than 60 or less than 50.

We are entering the first season in a long So, using these definitions and measures, time with significant divisional realignment what does TBL history look like? (Note – for in TBL, so Walter thought we needed an consistency, when referring to franchises, I will article that looked into the effects of TBL’s use the current names or abbreviations unless structure as it relates to competitive balance. otherwise noted.) Thanks to Steve and Clay’s yeoman work in preserving and web-izing our league 1981-88 - Planetary Formation records, there is a lot of information available. After a bit of number-crunching some I originally thought about calling this time the patterns emerged. This article is the capsule “Wild West” – you know, “trades flowed like summary of this research. cheap gin in the town saloon”, “owners dropped like greenhorns before a practiced gunman”, that Laying the Land sort of thing. But. No.

Let’s start by defining some terms and mea- A bit like the solar system congealing out sures we’ll use. It is fairly easy to define a of swirling gases, the first seven years saw league’s structure with three numbers – num- TBL being founded, and growing from an ber of teams, divisions, and playoff slots. initial six owners with 12 teams playing 106- Likewise, it is easy to identify things that game seasons, almost entirely face to face, to produce significant changes to the structure – a fully ‘by-mail’ league with 20 teams (and expansion, realignment and teams changing owners) in four divisions with a full 162- divisions (“moves”), and GMs entering or game schedule. Teams changed hands and leaving the league (“newGMs”). moved to new divisions frequently, trading was very active, and there were two expan- Measuring “competition” is more difficult. sions – after the 1984 season moving from 12 I looked at a number of potential measures teams in three divisions with only division for this: teams repeating in the playoffs winners making the playoffs to 16 teams in (“repeats”), maximum and minimum wins four divisions with six playoff teams; then in

14 The 2017 TBL Annual 1987 and 1988, to 20 teams in four divisions, 1989-2003 - Tectonic Shifts still with six in the playoffs. (This took two years because we committed to expanding in ’87 Just as planet Earth, having formed, went only to discover that we wouldn’t have 20 own- through a period of tectonic shifts as the ers… So, the expansion teams were drafted, but current continents formed, in similar fash- four teams ‘sat out’ the ’87 season, entering play ion, TBL had a decade and a half of ‘settling in 1988 when we had a full cadre of owners.) down’ as the 20th century moved into the So new were we that the records of the first 21st. By 1989, it was clear the league was three seasons have been lost: our version of not likely to fold (although I doubt any of MLB’s 19th century. us foresaw our current 36-and-counting longevity). But, as we absorbed the outcome of Still, a few observations can be made about our second expansion, there were still some this period. Perhaps because of the structural changes coming. volatility, it “felt” competitive. If we look at the measure of “last in” wins versus “first On the side of stability, teams changed own- out” wins, we find that there was never a ers and divisions much less. We welcomed “first out” team with more wins than the “last at least one new owner every year dur- in” team. The “minGB” was 1 or 2 in four of ing this period, but never more than five the five years, and was only 4 in the remaining – whereas it had never been less than six in year, indicating that at least one division had a a season during the early years. Similarly, tight race each year. In fact, in 1986, CAL won there was still some non-expansion-related the Ruth Division with a record of 82-80, while movement to different divisions, but in the other three teams tied with 80-82 marks – seven of the 15 years, no teams asked to competitive balance in spades! move. This would seem to argue for a more stable situation that intuitively might seem Notable during this time were two ‘dynasties’ to encourage ‘fair competition’. But … – Tim Holmes’ Brazil Hurricanes (now STA) made the playoffs in four of the five years; The 20-team/4-division/6-playoff macro but MAR stole the show, being a playoff team structure lasted for seven seasons, then from 1985-88 and winning a record three titles from 1996 to 1998, we moved to the current in a row (1986 and ’87 under Rich Meyer, 1988 24-team/6-division/10-playoff structure. This under Walter Hunt when Rich took on the happened in part because of consternation expansion Elders of Zion). over a competitive-balance issue – a multi- year pattern emerged of “first out” teams By The Numbers: having more wins (sometimes a lot more wins) Expansions: 2 (12 teams to 20; 3 divisions than the “last in” teams. The 1996-98 expan- to 4; 4 playoff teams to 6) sion was intended in part to try to address Moves (average per year): 4 this; but was only partially successful. While newGMs (average per year): 6.25 “last in” teams still won less than “first out” Repeats (average): 2.25 teams in most years from 1998-2003, at least >100 W (average): 1.16 the left-out “first out” teams weren’t 100+ <60 W (average): 1.8 game winners, which had happened five Seasons with “first out” > “last in”: zero times from 1989 to 1997.

The 2017 TBL Annual 15 There were some other factors that mili- In those cases, teams could and would tend tated against competitive ‘balance’ during to move toward extreme winning (or los- this period. Most significant perhaps was ing), in ways that exceeded the effects of the the “Brobdingnag Factor” – Joe Auletta league’s structure. Unlike planet earth, TBL’s joined TBL in 1989, proceeded to trade off “plates” can choose to shake themselves! every player on the roster he took over who even had a pulse, and lost a staggering 126 Anecdotally, it is easy to see results of this games in each of his first two seasons. He new tendency, with odd “bunching” of good had introduced us to the Massive Deliberate or bad records. In 1989, the Mantle Division Build-down (MDB), and TBL would never be had three teams win more than 100 games, the same. Joe had gotten our attention, and with Don Nipps’ East Anglia Pirates (now several other owners began their versions of RYE) becoming the first TBL team not to the MDB. In 1991, seven teams had 99 losses make the playoffs while winning at least 100 or more. In 1993, when BRO began its period games; there would be four more such cases of sustained winning and playoff appear- in the next eight years. In 1993, the Aaron ances, KAN lost 138 games to break BRO’s Division had both of that year’s teams who record, and in 1995 RYE did the same. won at least 110 – and also three teams that lost 100 or more. In 1996, the most competitive Obviously, if some teams are choosing to lose a division saw an 11-game divide between first lot, some others are going to win a lot, and we and second place. 1998 saw the formation of saw a notable increase in both major winning the Clemente Division, and MID (which was and major losing. Before 1989, there had never in the midst of at least a mini-MDB) won the been more than two teams in a season that won division with only 68 wins – and proceeded less than 60 games; during 1989-2003, there to take 114-win BRO to a seventh game in were never fewer than two such teams, and the the playoffs! That same year, DAL also made average was over four. Conversely, before 1989, the playoffs with a sub-.500 record, while the TBL had never had more than two teams win “first out” team had 94 wins – two sub-.500 100+ games in a season; from 1989-2003 we playoff teams is still a league record, as is never had fewer than three of those, peaking at the 26-game gap between “last in” MID and seven in 1997 (and in 1994 an astounding four the “first out” team. In 2002, Dave Suter’s teams won more than 110 games). Rochester Express (now COL) won a still- record 124 games. The other non-structural factor that appeared during this period was the increasingly astute Still, by 2003, there were signs that the pat- owner base that TBL attracted. As a multi- tern was changing for the better. In part, the year league, we were unusual in APBAdom, long-term impact of the last expansion had and were attracting new owners who were settled out. And on the other hand, while more knowledgeable and more inclined to the “win or bust” mantra was still widely join the league for the long haul. This led to a accepted, the increasing longevity of owners form of inertia that tended to stabilize rosters in the league had led some to follow other over the years (fewer ‘trades just for the sake paths, helping to mitigate the wild swings of trading’, fewer total overhauls of rosters) – that this period had seen. except when owners chose to do an MDB.

16 The 2017 TBL Annual By The Numbers: we’re less inclined to accept the “agony of Expansions: 1 (20 teams to 24; 4 divisions to defeat” by choice? 6; 6 playoff teams to 10) Moves (average per year): 2.06 Division races have also tightened a bit. In newGMs (average per year): 2.6 10 of these 13 seasons, at least one division Repeats (average): runner-up was within three games of the divi- 2 (with 6 playoff slots); sion winner. Repeat playoff appearances have 5.4 (with 10 playoff slots) declined. The combination of these observa- >100 W (average): 4.8 tions tends to indicate that more of us are <60 W (average): 4.07 willing to try to be competitive even in years Seasons with “first out” > “last in”: 13 of 15 when we know we’re not a threat to win it all.

2004-2016 - The Era of Stability By The Numbers: Expansions: none No more expansions after 1998 – TBL’s con- Moves (average per year): 0.3 tinents have settled in place. And, after 2003, newGMs (average per year): 0.92 we have seen far fewer team moves and Repeats (average): 4.55 (with 10 playoff slots) owner changes. In four of the past 13 sea- >100 W (average): 4.0 sons, there have been no changes of any of <60 W (average): 2.7 these types. 2003 was the last time TBL has Seasons with “first out” > “last in”: 7 of 13 had as many as five teams change owners, and 10 of the 13 seasons in this period have 2017 - The Great Shift seen one or no team with a new GM. The combination of structural and “psychologi- That brings us to today. We enter 2017 having cal” stability has had a positive effect on the significantly realigned – 13 teams are in new competitive situation. divisions to start this season. We are also exam- ining the impact of having one division whose For five of the past seven years, the “last in” owners voluntarily forsake the use of the DH team had more wins than the “first out”. In at least for games within the division. We’ve addition, in seasons where “first out” had never had a realignment this major without more wins than “last in”, the gap has been also undergoing expansion at the same time. narrower (excluding the blip of 2015 and ‘16 We’ve never played without the DH. We’ve when BRO won the Ruth division with only never done a major realignment that hasn’t 73 and 84 wins, while the entire Ruth was coincided with a number of new owners rebuilding). While we still see several teams entering the league. per season winning more than 100 games (sometimes quite a bit more, with a couple So, what will this bring? Who knows – we’re serious threats to the league record in wins in uncharted territory. My bet, though, is that during this period), we have also had signifi- this great shift may not significantly affect cantly fewer teams willing to lose more than things; the stability and longevity of all y’all 100 by choice (at least until 2014, when there is greater than any uncertainty the “great were clearly several conscious MDB efforts shift” might otherwise have brought. Let’s under way). Perhaps as we age together, play ball!

The 2017 TBL Annual 17 2016 Clemente Division Whole New Final Standings Team W L Pct GB Ballgame Whitman* 106 56 .654 –– Warrenton† 86 76 .531 20 Gordon Rodell’s Calusa Blue Hill 66 96 .407 40 Columbus 64 98 .395 42 Indians tackle their sophomore campaign * Lost TBL World Series to Munich. in a new location – the † Lost to Calusa in the Wild Card playoff. Clemente Division, which has been the have certainly done that almost exclusive do- in the extreme – not main of Brian Hanley and the Whitman only dealing away vet- River Rats for its entire existence. erans but also players that might have been But while Calusa is the cornerstones of the building up and is our next contender. This has concensus choice to drawn some tut-tuts from TBL cognoscenti: take the division this a species of criticism that sometimes turns year, Whitman is tak- out to be prophetic, but occasionally shows ing a needed step back that the new manager is more canny than after going all the way anyone expected. The Annual feels obliged to the World Series against Munich in to wait and see. 2016. It’s hard to think of any team with Clayton Kershaw on it as an also-ran, Mark Ludwig’s Blue Hill Mudslides come but that’s the Clemente in 2017 – a whole back for another year of work in progress. new ballgame. We know that Mr. Hanley Last year was a difficult year, and 2017 gets as much as anyone can get out of his might well be more of the same; yet we roster, but there is only so much he can continue to like the names on the roster, do with them, and there is some reason to and once again the Annual suggests that expect them to regress to the mean. the slow and steady effort by Mr. Ludwig Daniel Dumont joins TBL, bringing the should ultimately lead Riverwoolf Sharks to our roster of manag- to success. . . just not ers. It seems almost cliché to observe how much in 2017. new managers feel compelled to remake their team in their own image; the Sharks

18 The 2017 TBL Annual 1. Calusa 26.5 2. Whitman 22.0 3. Riverwoolf 17.5 4. Blue Hill 15.5

Clemente Freddie Freeman, Calusa Indians Division

The 2017 TBL Annual 19 2016 calusa INDIANS in review Apologies to the 5th Dimension. by Gordon Rodell

2016 in Review Eickhoff went 7-0 and Rob Schill won five games Final Record: 92-70 (2nd, Mays) pitching in relief. Offensive contributions came “When the Cruz is in the Seventh House. And from Billy Burns (293/.335/.377 and 10 steals). Freeman aligns with Mars. Then Thor will guide Matt Duffy .285/.337/.422 and 10 homers. Justin the planets. And Archer will steer the Stars. This is Bour .256/.316/.564 and 14 home runs. In lim- the dawnng of the Age of Calusa, Age of Calusa!!!! ited action, Aaron Altherr .317/.438/.517. Mid- CALUUUSA!!” Season Trade Acquisitions: Nelson Cruz, in 35 (Apologies to the 5th Dimension) games .310/.375/.572 and 10 home runs. Shelby Miller 4 wins and Carter Capps 14 saves.

The seesaw continued for the Franchise named What went wrong? after a plant and now an Indian tribe. Rebounding from 59 wins in 2015 to 92 wins in 2016 the goal of a winning season was accomplished. Modest production from Freeman The Indians started slowly, the team .240/.331/.447 and Evan Longoria played at or below .500 through the .250/.332./443, but Longo did lead the end of June. First round pick Noah team in homers with 26. First rounder Syndergaard and veteran Chris Archer Raisel Iglesias went 5-7, 5.04. Getting became a dynamic duo in July and the swept by the Batmen in the Conference Indians started playing winning base- semifinals. After bashing six HR against ball. The team survived August “the Warrenton in the playoffs, Cruz went month of doom” when it had to play homerless against Gotham City.

Munich, Maracaibo, and Las Vegas. 3 Things Calusa sprinted to the finish going 42-20 and came within a whisker of stealing the division. The highlight of Archer: Ace 1. Mid-Season Trade Brouhaha! There November was a nine game winning was a fracas over the Indians’ acqui- streak. sition of Nelson Cruz. The league’s sage council of elders pondered and debated the Cayman’s ‘Big Fat’ Bartolo Colon ended the matter in question. Eventually the Commission- streak and Calusa’s pipe dream of winning the er ruled in Calusa’s favor and Nelson remained Mays Division. Despite this disappointment, an Indian. qualifying for the playoffs, as a Wild Card, ended a very satisfying season. 2. Trade for Daniel Murphy. The saga to trade for Daniel resulted from my wife’s advice. Our core What went right? players all had above averge seasons and the fact that he was actually available, made Murph Three things; Pitching, 2016 Draft Class, and the an ideal candidate. mid-season trade acquisitions. 3. Moving Day, Part Two!!! After moving to Flor- Pitching: Led by its two Aces, the staff recorded ida the Indians look forward to moving to and a team ERA of 3.79. Syndergaard justified his competing in the Clemente. The team welcomes draft selection winning 14 games. Archer solidi- the opportunity to compete against and foster ri- fied his role as the leader of the staff, notching 15 valries with our new division mates. Hmmmm, wins and throwing 251 innings. Additional con- let me see, I think Indians hunt sharks and river tributions: John Danks (11 W) and Jake McGee rats. I’ll have to research that. (21 Sv). 2016 Draft Class: Besides Thor, Jerad

20 The 2017 TBL Annual calusa INDIANS

Gordon Rodell (3rd year) A lot depends on how much Gordon Rodell is Earl Weaver (as opposed to Tony LaRussa).

It is always a pleasure to read managers’ analysis of their team’s past, present and future. The Annual SNT: Asdrubal Cabrera. staff particularly enjoys these analyses when they are infused with the personality of the manager and the culture he develops for his team. Gordon Rodell On offer from Las Vegas and his Calusa Indians are no exception – in fact, in some ways, he (and they) are the poster boy(s) for it. before and during the draft: Indeed, we couldn’t even provide the full narrative a veteran infielder with good that Mr. Rodell sent; in particular, we had to slice out power. Sold. his account of receiving advice from his wife about the idea of acquiring Daniel Murphy. Smart wife, and smart guy for listening to her. Turnover Rate: 43% Adding a card with 12 hits and five power numbers is, well, a no-brainer, but it points to the entire mood Arrived: Jacob Barnes; Tony Barnette; in Calusa, which in turn illustrates the reaction to last Buddy Boshers; Asdrubal Cabrera; year’s pretty decent team (with really good pitching) Bartolo Colon; Daniel Coulombe; that just didn’t have enough offense to get past the Brett Gardner; Jason Hammel; Luke Hochevar; George Kontos; Daniel Murphy; Austin Romine; David Ross; division rival and go deep into the playoffs. When Steve Selsky; Joey Wendle. the team can’t pitch, you go get pitchers; when you don’t hit enough, you go get hitters. There was a little Departed: Justin Bour; Carter Capps; Adam Conley; Zack bit of that late in the season last year. This year, Cruz Cozart; Matt Duffy; Dalier Hinojosa; Ryan Mattheus; Trevor will be in the Seventh House from Day 1 (whatever May; Cameron Maybin; Jake McGee; Kris Medlen; Shelby the hell that means), and there’s a pretty fierce lineup Miller; Brayan Peña; Chad Qualls; Jarrod Saltalamacchia. around him. The pitching isn’t quite as good, but this crew might have a chance to go further in its new HR+36), who is helping to define the New Photogenic Clemente Division home than it could last year. If this now that Randy Johnson has faded into legend. He is is the Age of Calusa, there might well be an upgrade joined by a solid, if not overpowering, support team: to the 92-70 record that didn’t quite do it last year. returnees Chris Archer (Grade 11) and Jerrad Eick- Pitching: 8.0 hoff (Grade 10 C+31 HR-16) and trade acquisitions Solid rotation; they need to go deep. Jason Hammel (Grade 11 HR-16) and the ever young Bartolo Colon (Grade 9 C+41). There are a few Scott Feldman starts to fill it out, but this The Indians have put together a great lineup, but fivesome covers just about the that left only a few resources to be committed to the entire season. staff. The rotation lacks a dominant ace but it’s pretty solid, but Mr. Rodell nails it in his instructions when With a solid, deep bullpen this he calls the bullpen “adequate”. That’s not a word would be a fine rotation, but un- that a contender uses to describe one of the things fortunately that will be a prob- that a manager can actually control. lem. These guys have to give the team a majority of decent starts ROTATION. The leader of the pack is second-year to get through the season. starter Noah “Thor” Syndergaard (Grade 12 C+25 Thor: The new photogenic

The 2017 TBL Annual 21 hits, 4 walks, 1-5-5-6) as does the guy BULLPEN. The Calusa bull- at the other corner of the infield, Evan pen is led by a new closer Longoria (9 hits, 1-5-5-6). To get an guy: Raisel Iglesias (Grade idea of how powerful this group is, 22* HR+23), who has 50 note that we’re just getting to slugger strong innings. He’ll be Nelson Cruz (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-1-5-6) turning 8s and 9s into outs – the epitome of a cleanup hitter. all season. He has some solid help in trade acquisition Iglesias: Closer guy There’s more. Carlos Santana will get George Kontos (Grade 15* on base with annoying frequency (9 HR+41) and rookie Tony Barnette (Grade hits, 5 walks, 1-0-0-0), as will speedy Ender Inciarte 15* C+21 HR+56). They have 113 innings of (11 hits, 3 walks, 0-6, 27 SSN with 23 SBA.) Asdrubal homer-stealing goodness between them. Cabrera, the Calusa SNT, is very solid (10 hits, 2 walks+22, 1-0-0-0) as well. The rest of the bullpen, though, will only steal 8s with a good shift. Luke Hochevar The rest of the lineup is a bit mix-and-match. Chris (Grade 12* C+21 HR-16) and Jacob Barnes Owings (10 hits, 6-0-0, 35 SSN for 23 SBA) will see (Grade 12* C+36 HR+46) combine for 64 some infield time, and Melvin Upton (9 hits, 2 walks, innings; lefties Daniel Coulombe (Grade 1-0-0, 30 SSN for 35 SBA) and Brett Gardner (9 hits, 4 11* C-16) and Xavier Cedeno (Grade walks, 31 SSN for 20 SBA) will get reps in the out-

calusa INDIANS calusa 11* HR+45) and righties Ryan Madson field. Only cstcher is a real problem, split between (Grade 10* C+16 HR+21), Rob Scahill Carlos Perez (8 hits, 3 0s), Austin Romine (9 hits, (Grade 10* C+22 HR+41), and Juan Nicasio 0-6-6) and noted Dancer With the Stars David Ross, (Grade 10* C-13) provide about 250 more, and there providing an 8-hit, 1-5-5 swan song. are some scattered mopup innings as well. If the problem was not enough offense last year, the It’s a solid pitching staff, without question; the doubt is club has certainly compensated this year. Other than whether it’s deep enough – especially in relief – to do catcher, there will be a lot of extended innings and a more than dominate the teams in the Clemente that are lot of tough outs. mostly set on restructuring. (Without a lot in the 2018 draft (a third-rounder and two #5s) there might not be Defense: 3.0 much flexibility to go get help down the stretch. Some DHs need to use a glove. Offense: 12.5 Go big instead of going home. The recent spirited appeal to “old-time baseball” has produced some teams willing to go without a DH. It is hard to avoid harping on the theme. Calusa This club is not one of them; indeed, if it were pos- management was dissatisfied with the offense on the sible, they’d like to have more than one in the lineup. 2016 team; as a result, While solid at first base (Freeman is a 1B5) and the 2017 club has gone adequate on the left side of the infield (Owings and big. Very big. The top Cabrera are SS8s; Longoria is a 3B4) there is a large card in the lineup is a problem at second, where Daniel Murphy turned real eye-popping one: in an eye-popping 2B6. There is a 2B8 on the bench, Daniel Murphy (12 hits, but it’s hard to imagine a situation in which Calusa

2 walks, 1-0-0-0-0). That Calusa Chief Gordon Rodell is entering his 2nd is a formidable card full season as a TBL manager and would like to for anyone’s everyday improve on last year’s 92-70 record. His rotation is very good and deep, but is supported by only 50 lineup. He has help: innings of Raisel Iglesias (Grade 22*) and a cast of Freddie Freeman has thousands in the Grade 12* to 10* range. Bullpen another nice card (10 help at the trading period would be useful. Murphy: Eye-popping

22 The 2017 TBL Annual would want to take that bat out of the lineup. With think there will have to be some careful Carlos Santana as the everyday DH, it means that use to get the team past just the Clemente Nelson Cruz (OF1, finish line. 31 arm) will have to be a DH with a calusa INDIANS glove in LF. calusa: Realignment Fortunately, Brett Gardner (31 arm) Ender Inciarte (33) and Melvin Upton Since 1993, the club now playing down in (35) are all OF3s Florida has been resident in either the Mays and can go get the Inciarte: Goes and gets it or the Clemente Division, spending – as it ball. Cruz is more happens – 12 years in each. This year’s re- likely to come out than Murphy, but neither will alignment brings them back to the Clemente, leave a close game. It’s unclear whether that will cost where for many years the Chia Pet incarna- the team over the course of a long season. tion sparred with perennial contender Whit- Bench: 3.0 man for the chance at post-season glory. Useful, if used. Notwithstanding Whitman’s continued residence (along with Blue Hill), the Indi- The club’s defensive issues and – at least to some ans have arrived back at a fairly propitious extent – station-to-station offense can be addressed time. Blue Hill continues to be a few players by guys on the bench. Upton, Gardner and Owings short of contention; Whitman, after coming up short are the most useful here, as they can play defense in the World Series, is positioned for a restructuring (Owings is an OF2, in fact) and can all run. There’s year, and the Franchise Formerly Known as Tay- even a pinch-hitting toy: a few at-bats of Steve Selsky lorville is already making Spring Training arrange- (12 hits, 1-0-0, L+8 R-8). Shift or not, he may be used ments for 2018. This leaves them a clear path to a to cover the offensive deficiency at catcher. pennant. As sure as the Annual is about anything (except how Clay Beard will defy our expectations There are also a passel of light-hitting middle infield- again) we’re pretty sure the Fierce Ballclub will have ers. The best are Kiki Herandez (10 hits, 4 walks) and little trouble capturing the Clemente pennant. Eugenio Suarez (9 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0). Carlos San- chez (2B8 3B4) is a good extra glove. As noted, however, that’s a fair distance from the Greater En- This is not a hard call to make. Given chilada. Some of the outcome the competition in the Clemente this depends on whether the starters year – which is, essentially, dependent perform and whether the bull- on Whitman’s dice – the Calusa club pen is good enough. But it may should have very little trouble replicat- be even more important how Mr. ing or improving on the 2016 result. The offense will Rodell directs his team. How of- carry them and the pitching staff will keep them in ten will Nelson Cruz come out? most games. Will pinch-running be a common or rare tactic? In the last analysis, Still fierce A lot depends on how much Gordon Rodell is Earl the success of the club may be in Weaver (as opposed to Tony LaRussa). In TBL terms, his hands. That’s a good thing. whether he’s more Rich Meyer or more Pat Martin – squeeze every small advantage out of every player, 26.5 or send the best guys out and let them do their thing. TQ: There is such a thing as overmanagement; but we

The 2017 TBL Annual 23 title2016 whitman RIVER RATS in review The team did everything it needed to do ... right up to the end.

2016 in Review What went wrong? Final Record: 106-56 (1st, Clemente) There is no question that the best outcome for the The offense turned out to be thin below the top 2016 Whitman River Rats would have been their performers. Troy Tulowitzki was the poster boy first TBL championship. No one disputes that, for this (.222-14-67); Kolten Wong hit .236. There not even Munich – which has reached the Series were a lot of empty at-bats, and while the team and fallen to others. Still, there are 22 other teams only struck out 1068 times, it also hit only 157 that would be content to have gotten as far as homers, 13th in the league. Whitman did and called it a successful year. The same was true of the pitching staff. And it truly was. Whitman won 106 games Kershaw, Price and part-timer Jesse Hahn and ran straight through Brobdingnag and aside, the starters were pedestrian, and the Gotham City en route to the finals. The team bullpen was a very typical had everything: power, speed, con- Whitman one: it walked a lot of tact, and, of course, pitching. With people. Hoover gave out 32 free an experienced and talented man- passes in 55 innings. ager to make it all run, the team did everything it needed to do . . . 3 Things right up to the end.

What went right? 1. Hedging against aging. Teams that see the cliff coming get the first hint when they look at the ages of their players. The roster The offense was led by some isn’t geriatric yet, but the key big sticks, particularly Paul players are now 29-33 years old. Goldschmidt (.308-40-146, 108 Goldschmidt: Everything Prudence suggests getting ready walks, 16 SB), who did everything. for the next iteration. Carlos Gonzalez (.285-47-136) was a dangerous hitter; Ben Revere (.283) stole 30 bases; A. J. 2. Price and Kershaw. Kershaw’s injury last sum- Pierzynski led all hitters with a .330 average. mer and Price’s this spring are cause for concern at Whitman HQ. The near future depends very On the mound, of course, Clayton Kershaw heavily on those two left arms. was dominant (24-3, 1.53, 331 Ks in 271 innings; 16 CG, 10 shutouts). David Price (18-7, 2.58) 3. Drafts – 2017 and 2018. This year was very notched 236 strikeouts of his own. J. J. Hoover productive considering how far down the team recorded 36 saves with a 1.79 ERA, and the pen picked; with a more middling position next won 20 games in relief. year, the new additions will be critical to the team’s needed restructuring.

24 The 2017 TBL Annual whitman RIVER RATS

Brian Hanley (22nd year) If the recovery isn’t very quick, it may have to be long and painful.

There is a model for a team that makes a run SNT: Blake Snell. for the championship and falls short. Some- times, to make it happen, the team makes He fits the mold of a Whitman pitcher: a heavy investment in assets that will left-handed, hard-throwing, and wild. The soon have no value. By late in our TBL upside is great, once he learns control. season we can all see what’s coming – who’s having an off year, whose arm has fallen off – and that affects such decisions David Price (Grade 9 C+26) has 35 and the price for such goods. solid starts – the only card in the set with that many – and the re- The upcoming season for the Whitman maining trips will be spread River Rats is not any of that. The team among Yovani Gallardo has mostly the same names as it had (Grade 6 C-46), Matt last year. Indeed, the turnover rate Garza (Grade 5 HR+16) is very low; a few new members and others. The same names, but not of the pitching staff, a couple of fringe players the same levels of performance. with future upside. Injuries and off years make this a less effective team than the one that went 6 BULLPEN. There are some arms in the bullpen, against Munich. They’ll struggle, but they have but nowhere near enough innings to rescue the not completely come apart. starters. On days when Kershaw isn’t on the mound (what the Whitman instructions refer to Pitching: 5.5 as “otherworldly”), these guys will be doing their Not solid enough. best to rescue the game.

The closer role likely belongs to lefty Boone ROTATION. Opening up the Whitman envelope, Logan (Grade 17* HR+23, 46 IP), with help from the first pitcher that falls out is Clayton Kershaw Jake Diekman (Grade 16* C-46 HR+34, 53 IP). (Grade 19 C+54 HR+36, 21 starts), who is without Rooklie Michael Ynoa (Grade 17* C-46 HR+62) doubt The Man, when he’s there. It’s hard to be adds 30 more innings that are at least high grade. completely critical of a rotation with him at its This group, if used aggressively, could all be out head. The prob- on the golf links by Memorial Day. lem is that things go downhill after that. Ervin San- Turnover Rate: 20% tana (Grade 11 HR+21) and Blake Arrived: A.J. Achter; Clayton Richard; Joey Rickard; Snell (Grade 11 Blake Snell; Nick Vincent; Tony Wolters; Michael Ynoa. C-62 HR+44) help Departed: fill out the top Joey Butler; Prince Fielder; Dan Haren; Chris Johnson; Justin Miller; Eric Sogard; Carlos Villanueva. half of the starts. Kershaw: The Man, when there

The 2017 TBL Annual 25 The middle crew is led by two unreli- 3 walks) are very similar, able veterans: Tyler Clippard (Grade though at least Ellsbury can 13* C-24 HR-21) and Fernando Rodri- run. Rookie Joey Rickard guez (Grade 13* C-36 HR+33). (3 0s, 10 hits, 2 walks, L+6 R-5) provides an alternative New additions Nick Vincent (Grade against lefties. 11* C+34 HR-24), A. J. Achter (Grade 9* HR-24) and former top grade lefty The rest of the lineup will Tony Sipp (Grade 5*) give Whitman provide many empty at- about 250 more innings. They all have bats. Kolten Wong (2 0s, 8 Tulo: Disappointing flaws of one sort or another, and may hits, 3 walks+42, 35 SSN) well perform better at home where will be spelled by Kelly Johnson (1-0-0, 9 hits, 3 Mr. Hanley can mix and match more walks) and Miguel Rojas (6-6, 9 hits, 2 walks); be- efficiently. hind the plate, A. J. Pierzynski (3 0s, 8 hits) won’t be hitting .330 again, and will sit when Butera or This area of the club used to be a rookie Tony Wolters (0-6-6, 9 hits, 3 walks) are a strength, but aging and injury have better choice. reduced its effectiveness. It’s going to be a long season in Whitman when The big three hitters in the lineup are fine, and Clayton Kershaw doesn’t start, par- getting them up to bat means a good chance for ticularly when the starter gets sent to some offense; but there may be some completely the showers early. empty innings.

whitman RIVER RATS Offense: 7.5 The big three, then others. Defense: 7.0 Team strength. There are three impact cards in the lineup every day. Carlos Gonzalez turned in another fine card This is very much a (1-5-6-6, 11 hits, 2 walks, team strength. The L-6 R+1); Jose Ramirez will infield is Fielding get on base (4 0s, 11 hits, 3 One all around: Paul walks, 29 SSN for 29 SBA); Goldschmidt is a and Goldschmidt (1-6-6, 10 1B5; Kolten Wong hits, 5 walks, 33 SSN for 37 and Miguel Rojas Ramirez: Top glove SBA). Drew Butera has a are both 2B8s; Tu- surprisingly good card for a lowitzki is an SS9; and Jose Ramirez turned in a third of a season (1-4-6-6, 11 top glove rating of 3B5. hits) and since it didn’t get Gonzalez: Impact traded, it’ll get played. In the outfield, Jacoby Ellsbury (30 arm), Carlos Gonzalez (33 arm) and Nick Markakis (34 arm) Behind this trio are some players whose names are all OF3s. Only at catcher is Whitman some- are familiar, but whose cards are disappoint- what deficient; A. J. Pierzynski (C7, Th-1) is his ing. Troy Tulowitzki (1-5-6, 9 hits, 3 walks) is the usual ineffective self; Drew Butera is a C8, but has best of the lot; Billy Butler (3 0s, 10 hits, 3 walks) a Th-2; Tony Wolters is a C6 with a Th-1. They will be in many lineups; Nick Markakis (3 0s, 10 won’t do much with the opposing running game. hits, 3 walks) and Jacoby Ellsbury (3 0s, 10 hits,

26 The 2017 TBL Annual Bench: 2.0 will be back in the hunt after a year of Not much help. retooling; but a few more years have passed, and there are only a few truly It should come as no surprise that the remaining young prospects on hand (Wolters, players on the roster don’t do a lot to help the regu- Snell, Rickard, Ynoa) and, as noted in RATSRIVER whitman lar starters. The best the review article, the critical guys are bench player is the in the 29-33 range. That means that if versatile Brock Holt the recovery isn’t very quick, it may (3 0s, 9 hits, 3 walks; have to be long and painful. OF2 3B4 2B7 SS7; L-15) who will be useful some days but whitman: whose platoon shift Realignment is a real problem. Holt: Plays everywhere

Chris Stewart is a spare catcher (C8, Th-1) who can’t hit a lick. Jefry Marte (1-0-0-0, 9 hits, 2 Unlike almost any team in TBL, the walks+42) will be a useful pinch-hitter. Ben Re- Whitman River Rats have played in vere (8 hits, 2 walks, 29 SSN) has been reduced no other division than the Clemente to no more than a pinch-runner. since we went to the six-division format. They have won 100 or more Overall, the bench players are there to fill out games seven times and won the divi- the roster. sion eight times. They’ve been in the playoffs on thirteen occasions. This And yet, despite all of the disparage- year was their second visit to the ment meted out by the Annual, the World Series. club has a decent chance to finish second in the Clemente Division. The arrival of the Calusa Indians has provided This speaks more to the weakness of an opportunity for the club to take a seat further the division – the dismembered club down in back on the bus this year, but even that isn’t Riverwoolf, the continuing rebuild over in Blue much different from the past – Warrenton, Las Hill – than to the intrinsic ongoing strength of Vegas, Greater Ohio, and other teams have come the River Rats. and gone during some shuffle or other. Whitman has remained in place, and has been the odds-on Except for a brief blip a couple of years ago, the favorite in most years. Whitman club has been one of the top clubs in TBL for at least ten years. An optimistic view of For the Whitman club, remaining in its home is the current roster is that this year, too, is a blip clearly an advantage. In a year or two, they may – that some of the injured and underperform- well be back on top of it. ing players will have a better 2017 and the club

Clayton Kershaw is the leader of a staff with 105 starts above Grade 9. The bullpen doesn’t have a closer grade available, but lots of opportunities for mixing and matching. The offense is reduced from 2016, but we all know how much Brian TQ: 22.0 can squeeze from lesser talent. Whitman should give Calusa a run for the Clemente crown. 10 The 2017 TBL Annual 27 2016 taylorville RED RAIDERS in review The problem is there’s always context.

2016 in Review outs. Aroldis Chapman was lights out (6 wins, Final Record: 94-68 (2nd, Williams) 22 saves, 1.41 ERA, 77 Ks in 51 innings), and his 94 wins is a pretty good total for a TBL season, suppoting crew was pretty good as well. taken out of context. A team that hit 179 homers What went wrong? and featured lights-out performances by Nolan Arenado, Jake Arrieta and Aroldis Chapman should have been one we talk about in terms Just as with the team’s final record, the good that suggest success. performances mask the lackluster one of the team overall. They scored just 688 runs, walked The problem is that there’s always context. The only 383 times, and recorded a .248/.299/.404 Las Vegas Gamblers were five wins better in the slash line as a team. Pujols’ 36 dingers came Williams, Maracaibo won 101 to take with a .219 BA. Robinson Cano hit the Aaron away from Kansas at 95-67, .226. Brett Gardner struck out 155 and Munich went 113-49 to finish eigh- times somehow, and five regulars had teen games ahead of the 95-67 Melrose 100 or more (Pujols just missed at 97). club. Once the dust had settled, there The pitching was excellent (3.14 ERA) were two teams with just one win but it’s clear that the offense just did more than Taylorville, edging them not deliver. out of post-season play by the narrow- est possible margin. 3 Things

The swan song for the Taylor brothers Arrieta: Dominant 1. Team chemistry is a myth. Or maybe did not end in a playoff run, and the not. No one was safe during the off club has now changed hands – well, actually, season fire sale that produced the new club. hands, feet, upper and lower limbs, and just Jake Arrieta, Nolan Arenado, Aroldis Chapman, about every other part you can imagine. Albert Pujols, Erick Aybar, Gio Gonzalez, J. A. Happ, Robinson Cano, Jeurys Familia . . . and What went right? lots of others are gone. Their replacements are, for the moment, what’s on the club, but there’s Nolan Arenado put up some eye-popping num- no sense of continuity with the old club. bers – 42 homers, 52 doubles, 122 RBI. Albert Pujols chipped in 36 homers of his own, and 2. The “old club”. Well, to be fair, it was getting to Gerardo Parra led regulars with a .282 average be an old club. If this team as constructed was and 36 doubles. short of a playoff contender, a new manager would logically think to rebuild. The draft in The real stars, though, were on the mound. Jake 2018 will help them get younger. Arrieta was dominant: he pitched 14 complete games with 8 shutouts, and went 18-6, 2.20 with 3. A new broom sweeps away. The question will be 308 Ks, allowing only 149 hits in 262 innings. if too much – notably Arenado and Arrieta – was Gio Gonzalez had 16 wins, 7 CG and six shu- swept away. Time will tell.

28 The 2017 TBL Annual riverwoolf SHARKS

Daniel Dumont (1st year) Sometimes it leads to an outcome which is (dare we say it) Brobdingnagian.

We have seen this before. We have even seen it Turnover Rate: 71% to this extreme before. Arrived: Matt Adams; Tim Anderson; Joe Biagini; Blaine New managers come to TBL and, more often Boyer; Santiago Casilla; Doug Fister; David Freese; than not, are presented with a team that has Avisail Garcia; Jaime Garcia; Phil Gosselin; Hisashi Iwakuma; Max Kepler; Ian Krol; Brett Lawrie; Logan some flaws and some talent. (There are a few Morrison; Joe Musgrove; Hernan Perez; Kyle Ryan; exceptions to this rule; ask Mark Bloom what he Jarrod Saltalamacchia; Scott Schebler; Andrew Triggs; inherited the first time he came into the league.) Jonathan Villar; Stephen Vogt; Adam Warren; Matt Wisler; Chris R. Young. In an effort to either (1) put his own stamp on Departed: Cody Anderson; Nolan Arenado; Jake the team, (2) correct the flaws by stepping back Arrieta; Erick Aybar; Robinson Cano; Aroldis Chapman; and getting younger, or – occasionally – (3) look- Steve Clevenger; Matt Den Dekker; Odrisamer Despaigne; ing for an opportunity to show these guys how Jeurys Familia; Brett Gardner; Gonzalez Germen; Johnny smart he is, the manager will engage in some Giavotella; Gio Gonzalez; Jedd Gyorko; Ryan Hanigan; sort of rebuild. Sometimes it’s moderate. Most J.A. Happ; Cesar Jimenez; Taylor Jungmann; Charlie Morton; Shane Peterson; Albert Pujols; Brendan Ryan; Tyler often, it either starts with a big teardown or Thornburg; Matt Thornton; Shawn Tolleson. is drawn inexorably into one. By the time the smoke clears, lots of talent has moved elsewhere So, as we say, we’ve seen this before. Sometimes and the team on the field is either very young, or it works out, usually after a little struggle and a very inferior, or both. In the best circumstances, lot of retrenching. Sometimes it leads to an out- there’s a lot of the next year’s draft with this come which is (dare we say it) Brobdingnagian. team’s name on it. But sometimes the result is less than what was there in the first place. It will be up to Daniel We welcome Daniel Dumont from Rivière-du- Dumont, the 2018 draft, and the vagaries of the Loup in Québec to our merry band of brothers. gods of baseball to show us which. It would be disingenuous for the Annual to ascribe any motive to our new manager regarding motives for the rebuild that has turned over more than 70% of the roster (so far); it’s fair to SNT: say that he was not satisfied with what he had, Jonathan Villar. and was willing to trade almost all of it away. is What’s left is younger, yes; there a great deal A young, speedy, of draft in 2018 to anticipate; but the question remains – was all of this a good idea? Trade talented middle in- Albert Pujols: sure. Get a good price for Aroldis fielder is a great Chapman? Justifiable. But . . . Nolan Arenado? pickup for a team He couldn’t carry the 2016 Raiders to the play- in the middle of a offs . . . what would make him a liability on rebuild. a rebuilder? He’s the sort of guy you want to rebuild around.

The 2017 TBL Annual 29 Pitching: 4.5 There are actually a few more useful innings. Joe Biagini from the right side (Grade 10* C+21 The fall of Babylon. HR+51) and Ian Krol from the left (Grade 9* C+33 HR+31) will see some middle inning use, as will Adam Warren (Grade 9* C-15 HR-22). A team strength a year ago, this part Again, far from the worst we’ve seen, but they of the Sharks has become one with will have trouble with strong offensive teams. Nineveh and Tyre: while there are some interesting prospects among Offense: 7.0 what remains, the rotation will not Some speed; not enough power. be getting a lot of people out, and the bullpen will be helping them not do Probably the most interesting player in the it. With our long view, we have seen Riverwoolf lineup is Jonathan Villar, who will much worse, but this is ugly. be at second base this year. Villar had a breakout season in 2016 and has a very ROTATION . The ace of the good card (10 hits, 4 walks, 1-6-6, 30 staff is lefty Hector Santiago SSN for 80(!) SBA). He is a shortstop (Grade 10 C-34 HR-22), who by trade, but will yield that posi- has 33 starts. Rookie Joe tion at least half the year to rookie Musgrove has 10 slightly Tim Anderson (11 hits, 4 0s, 32 SSN better ones (Grade 10 C+16).

riverwoolf SHARKS for 18 SBA). Gerardo Parra, one of Other than six trips for the few key players from last year’s Andrew Triggs (Grade 15 team to remain, has some power C+16 HR+26), the rest of the (10 hits, 4 0s), as does part-time first rotation consists of Grade 7s (Doug Santiago: “Ace” baseman Matt Adams (9 hits, 1-0-0- Fister, Jaime Garcia HR-15, Hisashi 0 power and no batting handicap). Iwakuma C+25) and a Grade 6 (Matt Wisler, Hernan Perez (10 hits, 1-4-6, 32 SSN for 42 SBA) C+14 HR-22). Other than Garcia they are all right provides some more speed and modest power. handed, so on good days they’ll be stealing 9s. Again, this isn’t the worst we’ve ever seen, but That, however, is where most of the good news there will be some long days out in the field. ends. David Freese (9 hits, 3 walks+42, 3 0s, L+9 R-4) and Logan Morrison (9 hits, 3 walks, 1-5-6) BULLPEN . Here’s where the fun begins. The will see playing time; so will Kevin Pillar (10 hits, designated closer is Santiago Casilla (Grade 1 walk, 3 0s, 27 SSN for 20 SBA), Howie Kendrick 12* HR-14), with help from lefty Travis Wood (9 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, 32 SSN for 12 SBA); Avisail (Grade 16* C-16) and short-innings righties Garcia (9 hits, 3 0s), rookie Max Kepler (9 hits, Brian Ellington (Grade 15* C-32 HR+36) and Jeff 1-5-6), and Brett Lawrie (9 hits, 1-6-6). Brian Manship (Grade 14* C-42 HR-14). Kyle Ryan is McCann (9 hits, 1-5) and the most reliable guy (Grade 12* C+33 HR+52) Steven Vogt (9 hits, 6-0-0, and might fit the ninth-inning role even bet- L-10 on the boards) share ter, but he’d really look better if he was a setup the catching duties. guy in a better bullpen. With long man Hansel Robles (Grade 12* C-31 HR+23), this crew has It’s a fast team, which 329 innings, which will get used, as all of them sometimes doesn’t play are better than all of the starters (other than well on the computer; it Triggs during his six starts). certainly lacks power, as Villar: Interesting

30 The 2017 TBL Annual Adams and Parra are the only four-power cards on the roster. riverwoolf: Defense: 3.5 Realignment

Average, or worse. SHARKS riverwoolf The relocation of this franchise to the Defense is not a strong Clemente is good news, much as it is suit for the Sharks. for Calusa, but for slightly different rea- They do have Fielding sons. Overall, there are more teams in One in the outfield the International Conference in the pro- (Kevin Pillar can cer- cess of rebuilding/restructuring/ get- tainly make catches) ting younger, while the NC has some and Gerardo Parra; Pillar: He can do this powerhouses on the rise, peaking or both are OF3s with 34 waiting for the Bounce. arms. At first base, Morrison and Adams are both 1B4s, as is Parra, for what it’s worth. But That being said, the Annual thinks that second base and short are manned by 2B7s and there is more reason for caution than SS8s; the roster is full of 3B3s (Kendrick is a 3B4 optimism (such as is expressed by the and may see time there); and the rest of the out- Vegas Line below). Sure, a lot can hap- fielders are OF2s. Only Garcia (36) has a supe- pen in two years; and yes, a big draft rior arm. Behind the plate McCann and Vogt are and the obvious move toward youth both C7s with a Th-2; so is waiver pickup Jarrod will benefit Riverwoolf more than stay- Saltalamacchia, who is here for no good reason. ing the course with what Taylorville left Bench: 2.5 him. But it is hard to avoid asking Mr. Mix and match. Dumont the question: are you better off without some of the best pitchers and a few of the best position players in the game? If you’re going to rebuild, doesn’t it During the many trades, Monsieur Dumont did make sense to provide some anchor? Thirty years pick up some useful cards that can be swapped ago, when Joe Auletta blew into town and blew in and out. In addition to the worthies described up the team he’d been handed, he kept Eric Davis above, Scott Schebler (10 hits, 1-4-6, L-8) will be as his anchor. Soon Davis was joined by Ken a nice situational pinch-hitter. For a rebuilder, Griffey, Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and numerous others. there are more options than expected. Friction catches up with you. We’ll check back in a year to see how it affects the master plan. Despite the pitching staff and the lack of power, the Riverwoolf team New TBL member Daniel Dumont has taken a Taylorville franchise that won 94 games in 2016 simply isn’t bad enough as presently and missed the playoff by a single win and constituted to fall all the way to the stripped it down to remake in his own image. Their win total will, probably, drop about 25-30, basement of the Clemente. The team speed will but they could be trouble by 2019. win some games if properly used, and there are enough choices among the roster that they will steal some wins. That being said, this team (again, as presently constituted) isn’t very good – which should surprise no one, particularly its TQ: 17.5 manager. The next draft will bring a lot more changes to a team that is already different. 25 The 2017 TBL Annual 31 2016 blue hill MUDSLIDES in review

It’s not out of reach. by Mark Ludwig

2016 in Review below .300; despite their performance highlights Final Record: 66-96 (3rd, Clemente) listed above, they simply did not live up to their The Blue Hill Mudslides suffered another dif- projections. Seven regulars struck out more than ficult campaign in the Clemente, only staying 100 times, meaning that the offense often was out of the basement due to the equally-difficult unable to sustain a consistent attack. year experienced by the Columbus Jets (now moved on to the Mantle Division). The Annual The bullpen blew too many leads and once had been optimistic and encouraging, but their again lost over 20 games. confidence did not yield the expected results. 3 Things What went right?

1. Three good young players. Bryce Harper, Trevor Still, there were some high points. The Blue Hill Story and Christian Yelich should be in the outfield was very good, led by Bryce middle of the Mudslides’ lineup Harper, who set a franchise record with for years to come. Since the old- 51 home runs while also scoring 120 est is 24, I think they will be runs and driving in 130. Christian Yelich around for a while as long as hit 35 doubles and stole 12 bases, and they don’t go crusing around the Jayson Werth slugged .468, which was Dominican Republic! good for second best on the team. 2. New young pitching. Last year I On the pitching side Yordano Ventura listed youth in the pitching staff led the staff with 11 wins and 186 strike- but unfortunately that took a big Harper: Franchise record outs; rookie Lance McCullers had 10 hit with the death of Yordano wins in limited starts and recorded a Ventura and injuries to Lance team-best 3.28 ERA. McCullers and Alex Wood. But Zach Eflin, Cody Reed and Luis Perdomo are all 24 or younger so What went wrong? hopefully one of them can emerge. Overall the staff is still young.

The offense only hit .236 as a team and man- 3. It’s not out of reach. Getting back into conten- aged only 157 HR and 37 SB overall. The team tion doesn’t look that far away. This year we scored 690 runs, but gave up 783, recording a will still be rebuilding but there is enough core subpar team ERA of 4.45. I was disappointed now to look to add some veteran leadership in that Harper (.280) and Yelich (.253) both hit well the near future.

32 The 2017 TBL Annual blue hill MUDSLIDES

Mark Ludwig (22nd year) This year might be the critical one.

We’ve been at this task for more than twenty years. So has Mark Ludwig. And for more than SNT: Trevor Story. twenty years, we’ve been writing more or less the same article, which consists of praise for the A power-hitting short- young talent, polite observation of Mr. Ludwig’s stop is a perfect addition to a rebuild- patience in bringing it along, and some sort of encomium suggesting that the breakout is near. ing ballclub. Like Harper and Yelich It was near when he added Bryce Harper; it was and others, it’s another step toward near when he drafted Christian Yelich; it respectability. was near when the Mudslides selected the late Yordano Ventura. It’s still close. Turnover Rate: 34%

New logo; new divisional alignment; new first Arrived: Cristhian Adames; Darwin Barney; Matt rounder – Trevor Story is the big splash in 2017. Bowman; Wei-Yin Chen, Zach Eflin; Phil Hughes; Omar And where do we expect them to finish? Fourth Narvaez; Manuel Pina; Luis Perdomo; A.J. Reed; Cody Reed; Trevor Story. in the Clemente. But sooner or later . . . Departed: Nick Ahmed; Gregor Blanco; Chris Youth is important, its pursuit is praiseworthy. Capuano; Neal Cotts; Stephen Drew; Elian Herrera; The young cornerstones of this club are Guys Adam LaRoche; Kyle Lobstein; John Ryan Murphy; Scott We Like. But while those young stars mature Oberg; Jerry Sands; Yordano Ventura. into everyday, consistent players, they’re growing older as well. There is a point where the Blue Graveman (Grade 8 C+23 HR+14, 31 starts). Hill club will have to place a bet on what they These two are all of the good news the starters have and make a move toward respectability can provide. and contention. It’s long past time. Pitching: 2.5 The majority of remaining starts will be provided This will be a long, long season. by lefty Wei-Yin Chen (Grade 5 C+33 HR-25) and righties Zach Eflin (Grade 4 C+25 HR-26), Jarred Cosart (Grade 4 C-62 HR+35) and Luis Perdomo ROTATION. At this (Grade 4 C+23 HR-15). After that crew there are time last year, rook- still fifty starts for lefties Adam Morgan (Grade ie Lance McCullers 1 C+26 HR-31) and Cody Reed (Grade 1 HR-41). was to be the new This is going to be a long, long season in Blue Hill, staff ace for years to providing batting practice for 23 other offenses. come. It was a good plan, but injury cut BULLPEN. The relievers available to rescue the Graveman: Full season it short. Instead, he starters have a particular characteristic as a group: was restricted to only 14 starts (Grade 12 C-62 they simply don’t have enough innings. The closer HR+42); the full season lead starter – it would – almost as inappropriate a title as ace – is Chris be generous to call him an ace – is Kendall Rusin (15* lefty, C+22 HR+36, 45 innings.) His

The 2017 TBL Annual 33 setup man is excellent: Matt Belisle One of the real positive (Grade 14* C+52 HR+44, 46 innings). aspects of the Blue Hill And that is the end of the pitchers offense is its speed. The top who can take 8s. runner is Rajai Davis (9 hits, 3 0s, 34 SSN for 49 SBA). When There are five middle relievers: he gets on base he will be a Matt Bowman (Grade 11* C+16 threat. The same is true of Davis: Speed indeed HR+36); John Axford (Grade 10* C-34 Coco Crisp (8 hits, 3 walks, 4 HR+31); Brad Boxberger (Grade 9* 0s, 26 SSN for 15 SBA). Along with Harper and C-62 HR-16); Seth Maness (Grade 8* Yelich, the club can manufacture runs. C+33 HR+35); and lefty Oliver Perez (Grade 8* C-25 HR+22). There are 250 The rest of the lineup is a bit of mix and match. innings among them. They all help all Darwin Barney has turned up to play second base the starters, but they might run out most days (10 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, L+3); Yonder of innings by Memorial Day. Edwin Alonso, a young prospect not that long ago (he’s Jackson (Grade 4) and waiver pickup 30 now!) will be the primary first baseman (9 Phil Hughes (Grade 1) will provide hits, 3 walks, 3 0s) and Chase Headley will be the about 140 mop innings between them main man across the diamond at third (9 hits, 3 and even that might not be enough. walks, 3 0s). Behind the plate Kurt Suzuki (10 hits, 2 walks+22, 6-6-0) will be the primary, with help The argument here, as elsewhere, is from two rookies we’ll talk about in the bench sec-

blue hill MUDSLIDES that the key members of the pitching tion. Eduardo Escobar (9 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s) and staff are young and one or more of Jayson Werth (9 hits, 4 walks, 1-5-6, L+10 R-5) will them could be future stars. This is a appear in some lineups. fond hope and we at the Annual are loth to dissuade it, but the future isn’t now, and This is an adequate offense, particularly when they’re going to get pounded this season. Story is in it. They’ll perform adequately against Offense: 7.0 inferior pitching; it’s too bad they can’t face their own. Some high points. Defense: 4.0 Won’t extend innings. Last year’s sublime Bryce Harper card has been replaced by a more pedestrian one (8 hits, 5 walks, 1-5-6, 26 SSN for 31 SBA). Early 2017 This is primarily a Fielding Two team, with no suggests that there’s lots better to come. The outstanding liabilities with some stellar defend- good news is that ers. Yonder Alonso is Fielding One (1B4); so Christian Yelich has is Kurt Suzuki (C8, though with a Th-4); Coco definitively arrived Crisp and Christian Yelich are both OF3s with (10 hits, 4 walks, 31 arms, while Jayson Worth (35 arm) and Bryce 1-6-6, 27 SSN for 13 Harper (36 arm) are OF2s. Darwin Barney is a SBA). And, of course, This franchise can’t seem to catch a break! They for two thirds of the haven’t seen above .500 since 2008. This year’s season Trevor Story version has 45 starts at Grade 8 and higher. The rest are innocuous. Only Matt Bowman (Grade will be a big league 11*) and John Axford (Grade 10*) have more threat (10 hits, 3 than 50 innings available from the bullpen. Another 100+ losses seem more than likely. walks, 1-1-0-0-0). Yelich: Arrived

34 The 2017 TBL Annual 2B8, but his shortstop partners are SS8s (Story, Escobar, Adames) and Chase Headley is a 3B4. blue hill: Realignment This defense won’t extend innings, and it is certainly adequate to take the field. MUDSLIDES hill blue Bench: 2.0 The Blue Hill club, like Whitman, has been in the Clemente for many years. A rebuilder’s bench. They have watched the other two slots be swapped out over the course There are enough games and at-bats for the of that time, yet they have remained. club to have some flexibility during games. The They were competitive for a time bench doesn’t help too much: it consists largely (four playoff appearances between of players taken because of a hope for future 2002 and 2008), but it’s been all fam- improvement. A. J. Reed (6 hits, 4 walks, 2 0s) ine and no feast since then, the high does nothing well; Christhian Adames (8 hits, 3 point being a 79-83 season in 2015. walks, 2 0s, SS8 2B7 3B4) is an extra glove when That would try the patience of an Old Story is unavailable; Omar Narvaez (9 hits, 4 Testament prophet. walks, 2 0s, C7 Th-4) and Manny Pina (9 hits, 5 walks, 3 0s, C6 Th+1) will fill in games when When you’ve had a run of injury and Suzuki can’t play. This is a rebuilder’s bench. bad luck and poor performance, it seems a moot point to even discuss This is not a surprising result, due the situation of your team in this to all the reasons we’ve mentioned. or that division. But it does sort of Even the completely reshuffled club beg the question whether a change up in Riverwoolf will perform bet- of venue might help the club shake ter than Blue Hill, primarily due off what they have experienced for the last ten to the very large number of awful starts that years in particular: running in place, watching they will throw out. In a way, Riverwoolf has the team (including the young prospects) grow done what Blue Hill might have to do: tear older. Right now, 19 of the 35 players are 30 or everything apart and put it back together. Does younger, and 11 of those were born after 1990. that mean that they should trade away Yelich, This year might be the critical one. Harper, Story, and the others? Who knows? It might take that shakeup to get them started. The laudable patience of Mr. Ludwig has not Players born after 1990 (11): Adames, Bow- provided much reward. man, Eflin, Harper, McCullers, Narvaez, Perdomo, A. Reed, C. Reed, Story, Yelich.

Players born from 1987 to 1990 (8): Alonso, Boxberger, Cosart, Escobar, Graveman, Ma- ness, Morgan, Pina.

TQ: 15.0 Harper: He’ll return 10 The 2017 TBL Annual 35 2016 Mays Division It All Final Standings Team W L Pct GB Comes Together Gotham City* 94 68 .580 –– Calusa† 92 70 .568 2 This was a good year to escape the Ruth Grand Cayman 74 88 .457 20 Division, due to a resurgence by the Brob- Rye 71 91 .438 58 dingnag Barbarians * Lost to Whitman in the IC Conference finals. –who look like they’ll † Lost to Gotham City in the IC playoffs. be showing no mercy to opponents during the upcoming season. Munich Marauders. This year might have Instead, Jim Jeatt’s New been a rebuild, but is instead a scramble Westminster Whiskey- for a playoff spot with the existing crew. jacks have relocated to the Mays Division, where they’ll be show- Meanwhile, the Gotham City Batmen ing off their top-flight rotation and their remain in place in the reworked lineup in a much more friendly Mays, and Anton Green- setting. wald’s club, like the rivals down in Maracaibo, will This should be the first of a number of be looking to get to the good years for a team that has put up far post-season with a very more 66-96 than 96-66 seasons. Being able similar roster to the one to see a path to the playoffs in that first that won the division last year. It may be a year is evidence of having it all come to- much tougher slog in 2017, but they’ve got gether for our friend from the northwest. a good chance for the wild card.

The massive realignment shuffle has -re Meanwhile, Craig Musselman’s Rye Her- turned the Maracaibo Rumrunners to the ons continue to embrace Mays Division after a long hiatus in the the cliff that has been Aaron. Walter Hunt’s club is coming off a rushing toward them for surprisingly successful 101-win campaign, some time. Last year was in which they defeated only the beginning of the the Las Vegas club in a very necessary retooling. tough seven-game series Some in-season and off- and then went com- season deals have made the club younger pletely cold against the – but there’s still lots of work to do, and eventual TBL champion 2017 will be a long season.

36 The 2017 TBL Annual 1. New Westminster 36.0 2. Maracaibo 27.5 3. Gotham City 24.5 4. Rye 17.5

Kyle Hendricks, New Westminster

Mays Division

The 2017 TBL Annual 37 2016 new westminster WHISKEYJACKS in review

It would appear that the future is now. by Jim Jeatt

2016 in Review Odubel Herrera was the lone bright spot on offense Final Record: 66-96 (3rd, Ruth) leading the team in batting average, and tied with In addition to the shifting of talent the Addison Russell for the RBI lead with 61. Whiskeyjacks find themselves a part of a new What went wrong? landscape for this season. Competing with Rumrunners, Batmen and Herons should prove The offense just did not show up in 2016. New to be a great test for manager Jeatt. The other West was ranked 23rd in average, last in the three managers have 6 titles between them and league in runs scored (560), OBP, homers, dou- lots of playoff success compared to two playoff bles and slugging. Injuries and disjointed line appearances that were one and done, ups did not help. Just four players including one against the Batmen played over 100 games and most that may prove to be motivation for played between 60 and 90 games. a big season. 3 Things

2017 represents the 20th Season 1. Starting pitching. The emergence for the New West Whiskeyjacks of Hendricks as a legitimate top end / Douglass Trojans / Gumsville starter and the continued good work Buffaloons franchise. The 1997 of Cueto and Estrada created a win Douglass team will be making a spe- now mentality for the club. Offseason cial promotional visit for Trojan Day additions of Guerra and Straily give sometime in May. Cueto: Ate innings the club 5 plus starters. The bullpen What went right? got a few additions but the big four of Colome, Treinen, Baez and Ross must carry the load. 2016 marked a repeat record of 66 wins and six 2. Pump up the anemic offense. The 2017 off season seasons without making the playoffs. Those six saw the Whiskeyjacks management address an seasons have averaged just 63 wins per year. For anemic offense by adding three players: Ryan the 19 years of the franchise they have a total Braun, Jose Abreu and Yadier Molina. This came 1,252 wins which is an average of 65.9 wins per with a heavy price for the 2017 and 2018 drafts. year. So, we can assume it is likely that New The core of Russell, Schoop, Herrera, Miller and West will win 66 games this season. Fowler should benefit from veteran hitters who can bring some stability to the middle of the The pitching staff was the highlight of the season. order. Power and homers have returned. Pitching for New West ranked 7th in the league. Estrada led all pitchers as a swing man (12-8, 3. Build from within. Just seven players have 2.94, 3 saves in 196 IP.) Cueto ate up innings arrived by trade. Drafting is and will be the throwing 230, and an ERA of 2.63. Four of the foundation of this team. There are two hitters six starters topped 180 IP including Hendricks and three pitchers over 30. It would appear that and Locke. the future is now.

38 The 2017 TBL Annual new westminster WHISKEYJACKS Jim Jeatt (13th year) The starting pitching is phenomenal. The bullpen is deep. And the lineup will get its hits. Scariest of all, most of this team is young.

2010 was the last season that the Whiskeyjacks won Turnover Rate: 31% more games than they lost. That was also the last time they made the playoffs, the last time they won Arrived: Jose Abreu; Jake Barrett; Jerry Blevins; Ryan the division, and the last time they won more than Braun; Adam Frazier; Junior Guerra; Seth Lugo; Jake 100 games. We at the Annual bring this up because McGee; Yadier Molina; Jarrett Parker; Dan Straily. we expect all of these things to happen in 2017. Departed: Manny Banuelos; Clint Barmes; Tucker Barnhart; Caleb Joseph; Desmond Jennings; Jeff Locke; This year’s edition of the team is stacked. What- Nick Martinez; Paulo Orlando; Alex Rios; Keyvius ever Mr. Jeatt couldn’t acquire through the draft Sampson; Ryan Webb. — and he acquired quite a bit — he traded for. As a result, the Whiskeyjacks got better in a hurry. Fi- set: Kyle Hendricks (Grade 17 nally out from under Brobdingnag’s shadow, this C+25 HR+25). He’s followed team should do better in the regular season and by Marco Estrada (Grade 15 go farther in the postseason than the 2010 team C-22) and Junior Guerra (Grade did. And they’ll do it with Canadian efficiency. 15 HR+25). Then it falls all the Pitching: 16.0 way to SNT Straily (Grade 13 Deep and talented. HR-22). That was sarcasm, by the way. This team throws 110 Estrada: Second man starts of Grade 13 and above at “McGee & Ray” sounds like a vaudeville act, and their opponents. Take that! because they won’t be pitching, these two pitchers just may be doing stand-up all year. They’re But even the “bottom” of the rotation is ace- the only pitchers who won’t contribute in 2017 — worthy. Johnny Cueto (Grade 12 C+31 HR+33) they’re not really needed. The team employs six is better than some teams’ best starters, and yet starters to cover the season, and they don’t even here, he’s fifth on the depth chart! Finally, there’ need all of those starts. The bullpen is seven deep the once-proud Clay Buchholz (Grade 9 C-24), of Grade 13* and above. They’re deep and talented. who gets to use only 20 of his 21 starts. As good as this rotation is, it’ll be even better in a seven- If there’s any weakness on the pitching staff, it’s game playoff series. You have been warned. a lack of exceptional lefties. Ray is the only lefty starter, and he doesn’t pitch. The two lefties in SNT: Dan Straily. the pen are decent set-up guys, but neither is particularly dominant enough for more than a late-inning LOOGY role. Maybe that’s picking The top pitching acquisi- nits. This is, after all, the highest rated pitching tion in a draft filled with staff in TBL. The starting staff will carry this pitching acquisitions, Straily team straight into the playoffs. bounced back to become relevant again. ROTATION. It helps to start your rotation with the best full-season right-handed starter in the

The 2017 TBL Annual 39 BULLPEN. It all comes down to 3 walks, 1-4-5-5, L-5), closer Alex Colome (Grade 18*). He Jonathan Schoop (10 hits, has mildly positive peripherals, but 1-0-0-0, L-4), and Addison nothing worth writing about. He’s Russell (8 hits, 3 walks+42, set up by a fearsome foursome of 1-5-6). While these devel- right-handers: Blake Treinen (Grade oping players have some 17* C-26 HR+26), Pedro Baez (Grade holes in their swings, they 16* HR-21), Seth Lugo (Grade 15*, play every day, usually who loses his +5 bonus after 17 in- batting low in the lineup. Fowler: Table-setter nings), and Jake Barrett (Grade 14* C-26). That’s 321 innings alone. The table-setters are Dexter Fowler (9 hits, 5 walks+22, 3 0s, E30 for 17 attempts) and Odubel The two lefties (both of whom are ac- Herrera (10 hits, 3 walks+22, 3 0s, E30 for 32 at- tive most of the year) are Robbie Ross tempts, L-9). Their job is to get on base and into (Grade 13* C-31 HR+53) and Jerry scoring position. Frazier and Saladino have the Blevins (Grade 13* HR+22). They add most limited usage, but they form a platoon, 97 more quality innings. The two mops with help from the bench. aren’t pushovers either: Matt Barnes (Grade 11* C-41 HR+26) and Erik Although the lineup is mostly plug and play, Mr. Goeddel (Grade 9*). They add another Jeatt will have to manage around some of the shifts 102 innings. This is a deep, loaded bull- and use the bench effectively. The instructions are pen who only real weakness is a lack of a little light and even prohibit straight steals, which overpowering peripherals. takes away one of his weapons, especially high up Offense: 11.5 in the order. Still, there should plenty of scoring chances, especially against weaker pitching. Plenty of scoring chances. Defense: 6.0 This attack features a lot of hits. Anchored by Russell. The lineup always seems to boast four hitters with 11 hits, but all told Let’s start with that outfield: Braun, Fowler, and there are six of them: Ryan Braun (11 Herrera are all OF3s. None of them have above hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0-0, E29 for 21 at- average arms, but they’ll catch everything they tempts, L+4 R-3), Jose Abreu (11 hits, can reach. The infield is anchored by Russell (SS9)

new westminster WHISKEYJACKS 2 walks+42, 1-5-6, no shift), Lonnie and Molina (C9, but Th-2), although he’s backed Chisenhall (11 hits, 2 walks, 4 0s, L-6), up by Christian Vazquez (C8 Th+3). Schoop (2B7) Adam Frazier (11 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s), and Abreu (1B3) are just average on the right Yadier Molina (11 hits, 2 walks+22, side, and the platoon at third features the aver- 3 0s), and Tyler Saladino (11 age Saladino (3B4) and the ugly Frazier (3B3). The hits, 3 0s, D27 for 16 attempts, instructions call for Saladino (2B8) to take over L+4 R-3). Half of these hitters at second and Chisenhall (OF2) to take over for came via trades. Fowler for some bizarre reason.

After years of picking near the top of every In addition to Braun and draft, the Whiskeyjacks seem poised to finally reach the combustion stage of ignition. Over 100 Chisenhall, the team has starts of Grade 13 and higher is backed by a good, if not great bullpen. The lineup has a good more power in the lineup blend of young talent and solid veterans. Should with Brad Miller (9 hits, win the Mays and make a deep playoff run. Braun: Arrived

40 The 2017 TBL Annual Bench: 2.5 new westminster: Power and on-base, just waiting. Realignment

There’s more on this bench than on most teams. WHISKEYJACKS westminster new There’s the power of Chisenhall, Justin Mor- neau (10 hits, 2 walks, 4 0s), Tim Beckham (9 After many years, New Westminster hits, 2 walks, 4 0s, L+2 R-4), and Jorge Soler (8 has moved out of the Ruth Division, hits, 4 walks+22, 1-5-5). Then there’s the on- and thus away from the considerable base prowess of Jace Peterson (9 hits, 5 walks, shadow of Brobdingnag. This is a L-7, 6-0). Even Vazquez (9 hits 2 walks+22, 6-0, major challenge for any team (just ask L+8 R-4) has his uses besides defense. Power Dr. Steve Powell, who’s still there in and on-base, just waiting. The only thing miss- shadow-land). ing is a pinch-runner. But most teams don’t have a Chisenhall on the bench. Now in the Mays, they’ll face some challenging competition from all three This is something that might be improved by a other teams: Maracaibo still has some tweak during the trading period. But honestly, gas in the tank, Gotham City has if this is all the team has to worry about, they power and pitching, and Rye cannot be should stop worrying. completely discounted. However, any reasonable analysis (and, you know, that’s our job here), it’s clear that the Despite some pretty good division- boys from up north are superior and al competition, this team should should have no trouble leading the lock up the division crown before Mays. None of the other three are un- the All-Star break. The starting der any illusions on that score. pitching is phenomenal. The bullpen is deep. And the lineup will get its hits. Still, the road to the World Series in 2017 may have to go through Brob- Scariest of all, most of this team is young and dingnag, a team with plenty of post eager. Only 10 players (including Morneau) are season experience and the ability to older than 30. This isn’t a flash-in-the-pan team. get better in September (which isn’t Watch out, Mays Division! really true here, though this team does pick in rounds 3-7 in 2018.) This Players born after 1990 (8): Jake Barrett, doesn’t even consider the Clemente Adam Frazier, Odubel Herrera, Tyrell Jen- Division, where there’s some talent kins, Robbie Ray, Addison Russell, Jonathan on tap. Schoop, Jorge Soler. But overall the Mays is a much better venue for Players born from 1987 to 1990 (18): Jose New Westminster; realignment is certainly a win Abreu, Pedro Baez, Matt Barnes, Tim Beck- for them. ham, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex Colome, Erik Goeddel, Kyle Hendricks, Seth Lugo, Brad Miller, Jarrett Parker, Jace Peterson, Rob- bie Ross, Tyler Saladino, Dan Straily, Blake Treinen, Preston Tucker, Christian Vazquez. TQ: 36.0

The 2017 TBL Annual 41 2016 maracaibo RUMRUNNERS in review

One more try as a contender. by Walter Hunt

2016 in Review Final Record: 101-61 (1st, Aaron) What went wrong? A funny thing happened on the way to restruc- During the regular season, lineup consistency turing: an Aaron Division championship. It was and no easy outs is an advantage. Maracaibo supposed to be a dogfight between Northboro had eleven players with double digit homers. and Kansas, since there was a sense that the Unfortunately, Cain’s 21 led the team; there was Rumrunners were better than the previous year no single huge bat, someone to scare the oppo- but not quite good enough. nent’s closer. The offense was relentless, but if it couldn’t get going, it could be shut out. Five The offers for key players were unappealing, regulars struck out 100 or more times, and the though. Instead of building down, Maracaibo team walked only 344 times – a .313 team OBA management kept them, and added some short bears that out. Sometimes they just didn’t score. term talent – Curt Casali, Matt Albers, Chris Young(s) – and let the boys play. And they did: The team depended heavily on its bullpen, for a very hot start, consistent performance through good reason: the starters were unimpressive. the summer, 101 wins and a defeat of Cole Hamels put up a 17-9 record, but the very competitive Las Vegas club in surrendered 26 homers and had a 4.37 the divisional playoffs. Reality only set ERA – not quite Cy Young material. in when the bats went silent against the eventual champion, Munich. 3 Things

What went right? 1. One more try. As with last year, the team management toyed with the idea Bullpen performance is a hallmark of of a rebuild, but once again the offers the Rumrunners, and this year was no were not very exciting. The move to the exception. Mark Melancon scooped 10 Cain: All around Mays offers a chance for one more try as wins in the setup role, and Albers was a contender. The rebuild is going to have to hap- awesome in very limited usage, surrendering pen – but not this year, at least not at the outset. only one run and 9 hits in 37 innings, saving 30 games with a microscopic 0.24 ERA. Six reliev- 2. Peeking at the next iteration. Maikel Franco and ers, including trade acquisition Sergio Romo, re- Orlando Arcia are not here for their current per- corded ERAs under 3.00, with 31 relief wins. The formance, but for what’s to come. 2017 MLB stats 3.51 team ERA was good for sixth in the league. may well point at a rebuild next year – so if the team doesn’t perform, it might start even sooner. On the offensive side, Lorenzo Cain was an all- around leader, with 21 HR, 84 RBI, 25 steals in 28 3. Some moves are best not made. Even if the at- attempts, and a .286 BA. Mitch Moreland delivered tempt to get J. D. Martinez (or another bat) had 17 HR with a .318 average which led the team. The succeeded, they might not have caught New club’s 104 steals was second in the league. Westminster. The team will go with what it has.

42 The 2017 TBL Annual maracaibo RUMRUNNERS Walter Hunt (31st year); Hall of Famer They’re well behind the new New Westminster juggernaut, but this team could — and possibly should — make the playoffs.

Once again, the Annual is predicting the Rum- The grades are solid, up and down the staff, and runners to win more games than they lose. It despite 17 subpar starts, this is a team strength. seems like an old refrain, but Mr. Hunt never A deep bullpen matches the rotation well, with seems to tire of it. Sometimes, they’re bashers; left and righty options. And since the bullpen has sometimes, they win with speed. Yet, every year, the better peripherals, the team will feel like the there’s never been a three-digit number in the Rumrunners of old when loss column. Never. the game’s on the line in the late innings. This year’s team relies heavily on veterans. That’s not to say there isn’t any youth on this ROTATION. It may be dif- team; it’s just for the most part they’re still wait- ficult to believe, but John ing in the wings. Mr. Hunt has (obviously) dis- Lackey (Grade 14) has been a played a fine eye for young talent over the years, Rumrunner his whole career, almost always picking in the second half of the 13 years so far. He returns as draft rounds. He’s built a good team that’s likely the ace. Newly acquired J.A. bound for the playoffs, but they may not get as Happ (Grade 13) joins him, Lackey: Lifetime far as the Conference Finals again. followed by another solid Pitching: 12.0 Cole Hamels season (Grade 12 C-23). Those three start 93 games, more than half the season. They’ll win some games. The next level belongs to returning Colby Lewis What set Maracaibo pitching staffs apart in the (Grade 11 C+22 HR-21) and another trade acqui- past has been their positive peripherals. Mr. sition, Tom Koehler (Grade 9 C-31). They add 52 Hunt knew how to build a pitching staff that starts. Those final 17 starts are “filled” by Ubaldo could dominate by stealing hits, walks, and homers. Mariano Rivera will always remain the poster child of Maracaibo pitching. This year, the SNT: Orlando Arcia. bullpen is holding up its end, for the most part, but the starters … not so much. Ian Desmond in Turnover Rate: 34% the outfield left a gaping hole in the Arrived: Erick Aybar; Caleb Joseph; Jabari Blash; Wilmer Maracaibo infield. Difo; Hunter Cervenka; Tom Koehler; Matt Strahm; Orlando When 23-year-old Arcia; Jim Johnson; Pat Neshek; J.A. Happ SS Arcia fell to Departed: Christian Bethancourt; Steve Cishek; Luis him in the Sardinas; Santiago Casilla; David Freese; Logan first round, Morrison; Chris R. Young; Matt Albers; Marlon Byrd; Josh Rutledge Mr. Hunt grabbed him.

The 2017 TBL Annual 43 Jimenez (Grade 6 C-62 HR+22), the Walter’s warriors won the Aaron in 2016, only weak link in the rotation. While held down a good Las Vegas team and fell to a ridiculously good Munich team. 97 starts are left-handed, it doesn’t The Rumrunners are back in 2017 and are feel like a weakness, although five of a wild card favorite and will contest their new division with New West all season. seven playoff games will be started by a southpaw. Desmond (1-6-6, 11 hits, 2 walks, E30 for 27 at- BULLPEN. Mark Melancon (Grade tempts, L+3 R-3) is solid. Part-timer Chris Young 19* C+34 HR+44) is doing a great Ri- (1-6-6-6, 10 hits, 3 walks+22, L+6 R-6) had a vera imitation. He returns as the clos- great season. er. The set-up crew is deep and varied. Nate Jones (Grade 17* C+33 HR+21), Table-setters Ichiro Suzuki (6-0, 11 hits, 3 walks, rookie lefty Matt Strahm (Grade 22* E32 for 12 attempts, L+5 R-3), Lorenzo Cain C-51 HR+62), Pat Neshek (Grade 15* (3 0s, 11 hits, 2 walks, E29 for 19 attempts, C+51), lefty Hunter Cervenka (Grade L+12 R-5) and Brandon Phillips (3 0s, 11 hits, 15* C-62 HR+33), Jim Johnson (Grade a walk+22, D25 for 22 attempts, L-5) get on 12* HR+44), Sergio Romo (Grade 14* and can run. Marwin Gonzalez 3 0s, 10 hits, a C+26 HR-25), and lefty Justin Wilson walk+22, D26 for 18 attempts) adds to the mix. (Grade 8* C+21 HR+23) supply 408 innings total. There’s more power in Mitch Moreland (1-5-6, 9 hits, 2 walks+22) and Maikel Franco (1-5-6, 9 Considering the strong starting rotation, hits, 2 walks, L+4 R-3). And finally, there’s SNT that’s plenty of innings with — as noted Orlando Arcia (3 0s, 8 hits, 3 walks, L+9 R-5), — mostly strong peripherals. At the bot- who’s counted on for many better cards to come. tom of the pen, Junichi Tazawa (Grade 10* HR-23) and Keone Kela (Grade This team hits for average, hits for power, and runs well, but there are too few walks. If three

maracaibo RUMRUNNERS 8* C-46) provide 84 mop-like innings, but they’ll come in handy sometimes. walks is considered average, there are eight Handled properly, as Mr. Hunt always players below average. In this respect, it’s not manages, this bullpen will win some quite like a veteran team. games for the team and save many others. Defense: 5.0 Good times, bad times. Offense: 8.0 Hits well, runs well, but . . . It starts with the best defensive catcher in base- This version of the Rumrunners offense has a lot ball: Perez (C9 Th+6). Moreland (1B5) is out- of variety, but there’s one thing conspicuously ab- standing, and there are three OF3s on this team sent. Let’s start with powerful Jake (Cain, Marte, and Young), although Lamb (1-4-5-5, 9 hits, 4 walks, L-10) all three must miss some time. The and still just 27-year-old Salvador other outfielders are average, and Perez (1-0-0-0, 9 hits, a walk+22). all have excellent arms. Perez starts the trend, as you’ll see. Up the middle, Phillips (2B7) and Starling Marte (11 hits, 1 walk+42, Gonzalez and Arcia are both SS8s. 4 0s, C31 for 59 attempts, L-5) That will hurt, as will the black does almost everything well. Ian hole at third, as Lamb and Franco Lamb: Powerful are both 3B3s. Gonzalez and Erick

44 The 2017 TBL Annual Aybar are 3B4s for later innings, though. Good times, bad times. Maybe they’ll get lucky. Bench: 2.5 maracaibo: Realignment Some moves to make. maracaibo RUMRUNNERS maracaibo Because of the obvious shifts, there are many The relocation of this franchise is moves to make when playing this team. But an interesting case. If realignment there should always be some moves to make. hadn’t happened, the Rumrunners Aybar (2 0s, 9 hits, 2 would be fighting Northboro and walks+22, L-6) is more of Strong City for the division crown. the same, but Curt Casali (1-0-0, 7 hits, 3 walks+22, While the Annual says Northboro L+5 R-4) promises to be has the advantage, Mr. Hunt and his entertaining. Wilmer Difo teams have overcome much greater (3 0s, 10 hits, 4 walks) odds. But because of realignment, may get a moment in the they find themselves in a division sun. The team also ben- with powerful New Westminister. efits from the presence of They’ll roll the dice and play the Marwin Gonzalez (1B4 Gonzalez: Everywhere games, but chances are, there’s no 2B7 3B4 SS8 OF2), who way to win this division. Overall, can play everywhere but behind the plate; he the tendency is to view this move as should find his way into most lineups, even if he a net loss for the club. doesn’t start.

And a distant second behind the new New Westminster juggernaut. But, as mentioned, they could — and possibly should — make the playoffs. They have a strong pitching staff with a deep bullpen. Their offense can do almost everything well, while it mixes and matches its problematic shifts. Gotham City has more power, but more weaknesses. Another winning season!

The question about Maracaibo is not where they Ichiro: One more tip of the hat are, but where they’re going. Management has traditionally been loyal to long-time players, such as Lackey, Hamels and Suzuki; Maracaibo is a place where veterans finish their careers (think Cal Ripken, Mariano Rivera, Orlando Hudson, Al Leiter). Soon it’ll be one more tip of the hat for Ichiro. Making the transition to a TQ: 27.5 younger ballclub is a challenge that may well compromise that tendency. 9

The 2017 TBL Annual 45 2016 gotham city BATMEN in review

Go 66 and 11! by Anton Greenwald

2016 in Review wrong for the player to fulfill that need. Healy Final Record: 94-68 (1st, Mays) is not going to be a third baseman. Instead we chose Anthony Reyes. Due to the upcoming TJ In 2015 our prize for not quite beating Whitman surgery, he dropped like a rock to position 17. was a next to last place in the draft. In 2016 we Before his arm trouble he was throwing about 103 did all we could to get back into the playoffs, mph. What will he be able to do after he returns? won our division, won our first playoff round, Big risk, big potential reward. Gotham City and then again got beat by Whitman who continued with a trade for Eovaldi, a 27 year old advanced to the World Series because Gotham also missing this year in MLB due to TJ surgery. City could not beat up on lefties. Before this I think the odds for his comeback are better as he draft, Gotham City believed that rebuilding was is not the super-fireballer. This gives Gotham City a considered option but we did not get a really two starting pitchers uncarded next year. Not good offer for the star player to be traded – exactly a good plan. However, we have six other Mark Trumbo, the MLB homerun leader in 2016. starters, Hernandez, Verlander, E. Rodriguez, We never assume that we have to trade a player, Wacha, McHugh and Karns. So we could be OK taking less than full value because we next year and fabulous the year after. want to rebuild and do not want to overperform due to good cardboard. 2. What about 3B? After the obvious When we had the very best catcher initial 3B was taken the only reasonably card ever to be published by APBA sure bet was the old Cuban. Not a with full season use and we could get rebuilding choice so I went and took no offer better than the very last pick the best offensive infielder available in the first round, we simply held on (Schimpf) with my bonus pick. This is to him and had fun watching him a risk. He has strikeout problems but if crush the opposition even though we he can increase contact just a bit then he did not make the playoffs. Thus, we Wacha: Led the staff will stay in MLB. prepared to compete once again. This year, maybe just a wild card slot and maybe not 3. Hitting the lefty. Pham isn’t huge, suffering the even that. We expect to be a 500 team. same strikeout problem as Schimpf, but he ould turn into a good performer. He will be joined On the downside is the fact that competing in by latter pick Heisey – older and part timer but 2016 cost the team 3 draft picks (rounds 2, 3 and a 7th round pick that might last another year. 4) and although we had an equal number of Really solving this problem would take earlier extra lower round picks (5, 6 and 7th) these lower draft picks that I did not have. picks just helped the team to fill needed roster spots with warm bodies that are not necessarily Gotham City then loaded the bullpen with expected to be there next year. The team has holes bodies. Next year, GC could be good again if that will show against good competition. newcomers come alive and the rest of team 3 Things does not fall apart. Of course, Trumbo could fail hugely – toss a coin. So I might get lucky. And 1. Risk. We look great if the dice fall right and then again – I might hold a fire sale. really bad if they don’t. First up – starting pitching. There were several prognosticators Meanwhile, we will live or die by the homerun. who suggested that I would take Ryon Healy for Go 66 and 11! my next third baseman. Correct on my need but

46 The 2017 TBL Annual gotham city BATMEN

Anton Greenwald (32nd year) In a new, tough conference, Mr. Greenwald has his work cut out for him — for 2017 and beyond.

A year after repeating as the Mays Division Turnover Rate: 34% champion, the Gotham City Batmen face an un- certain present … and future. Many of the same Arrived: Matt Albers; Richard Bleier; Jose Dominguez; names have returned, but despite a few career Nathan Eovaldi; Cory Gearrin; Chris Heisey; Tommy years out of the veterans, most of the team suf- Pham; Alex Reyes; Chaz Roe; Ryan Schimpf; Ryan Zimmerman fered injury or worse: ineffectiveness. Departed: Ehire Adrianza; Al Alburquerque; Enrique Gotham City entertained offers for some of his star Burgos; Jorge De La Rosa; Ryan Howard; Sam LeCure; players in the offseason, but in the end decided Franklin Morales; Jonathan Papelbon; Colby Rasmus; against a fire sale. He’s hoping another year and a Nolan Reimold; Pedro Villarreal full draft in 2018 will bring a return to greatness. In the meantime, they’ll push for a playoff spot in 10 years. He will again. He’s followed by for- a new, tough conference. Mr. Greenwald has his mer ace Felix Hernandez (Grade 12 C-33). He’s work cut out for him — for 2017 and beyond. had a winning record in seven of his 11 seasons, all with Gotham City. They’re a formidable 1-2 Pitching: 9.5 punch. Eduardo Rodriguez (Grade 9) and Na- They may need every inning. than Eovaldi (Grade 8 HR-24) bring the total to 100 games even.

If you look at the top performers on this pitching Nathan Karns (Grade 7 C-41) is the best of the staff, you see legitimate highs, optimistic numbers rest, but only for 15 starts. Most of the sub-par that make you think of playoffs and champion- starts — a massive total of 33 of them — go to ships. But then you look at the bottom and see … Collin McHugh (Grade 6). Erstwhile prospect well, the bottom. It’s deep and ugly and uninspir- Michael Wacha (Grade 4) gets the final 14 starts, ing. It makes you think of mediocrity and good draft picks. So where does that leave the team?

That’s the question that the prescient writers of the Annual get to answer. When you crunch the numbers, look at the competition, and figure out the odds, what you end up with SNT: Alex Reyes. — what we end up with — is “meh.” They’ll win some on pitching alone. They’ll lose He dropped farther than he oth- some on pitching alone. There’s marginally erwise might have after suffering more of the former than the latter, so they a season-ending injury before the stand a chance to contend. A chance. MLB season started, but Gotham City scooped him up. ROTATION. Justin Verlander (Grade 15 C+21) has been a Batman his whole career. He’s had a winning record in seven of his

The 2017 TBL Annual 47 showing confidence both in has lots of power, as do rookie Ryan him and the bullpen. If they Schimpf (1-1-0-0, 7 hits, 4 walks+42, make the playoffs, Verland- L-11) and Chris Heisey (1-1-6, 8 hits, 3 er gets to start three times, walks+22). but McHugh is the fourth starter. Think about that. Then there’s Michael Saunders (1-0-0-0, 9 hits, 4 walks+22) and Giancarlo Stanton BULLPEN. The new closer (1-0-0-0, 8 hits, 4 walks+22, L+5 R-3). is SNT Alex Reyes (Grade 21 It’s trick or treat, swing or miss. But C-51 HR+55). Even without Verlander: Lifetime ace wait; there’s more: rookie Tommy Pham the +5 bonus, he’s awesome, (1-5-5, 8 hits, 4 walks+22) and Robinson but he gets only 46.0 innings. He’s set Chirinos (1-5-5, 8 hits, 3 walks+42). Sense the pat- up by Dellin Betances (Grade 15* C-26 tern? Get the picture? See the problem? HR+35), who is no longer dominant, and lefty Richard Bleier (Grade 15* The team does have two exceptions in Jonathan C+33 HR+62) for a moment. That’s Lucroy (1-5-6, 10 hits, 3 walks+22, L-5) and Ian 142 innings — not enough. Beyond Kinsler (1-5-6, 10 hits, 2 walks+42, E27 for 20 them, there’s Chaz Roe (Grade 14* attempts, L+2 R-3). Plus, one of the table-setters C-36 HR+35), Hunter Strickland — Jarrod Dyson (3 0s, 10 hits, 3 walks+22, C31 (Grade 13* HR+34), lefty Fernando for 37 attempts) — can walk a little. The other — Abad (Grade 13* C-35 HR+31), and Alcides Escobar (6-0, 10 hits, a walk, E31 for 21 reborn Gavin Floyd (Grade 13* C+23). attempts, L-4) — can’t. gotham city BATMEN That’s 310 innings, which isn’t bad, That leaves the uninspiring Ivan DeJesus (2 0s, 9 but it’s split between seven relievers, hits, 2 walks+22, L-3) and Ryan Zimmerman (1-0-0, so it’ll have to managed carefully. The early in- 8 hits, 2 walks+22) to fill in the gaps. There are no nings fall into the hands (or arms) of Cory Gear- 11-hit cards on this team. In true Gotham City fash- rin (Grade 10* C+22 HR+25), Jose Dominguez ion, they have lots of power and lots of walks and (Grade 8* C-35), and lefty J.P. Howell (Grade 6* only a little speed. They’ll need to get lucky with the C+23 HR+31). That brings the total to 445, and power. But it could happen. seven will be active every month Wacha pitches. Defense: 5.0 They may need every inning. May help . . . sometimes. Offense: 8.0 They’ll need to get lucky. Jonathan Lucroy (C8 Th+4) is still a star. He’s backed up ably by Robinson Chirinos (C8 Th-1). This year, the best card Ian Kinsler (2B9) is the star of the infield, and on the team is versatile Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Carpenter (1B4) are Matt Carpenter (9 hits, 5 above average. walks+22, 1-4-5-6, L-4), who combines power and on- Alcides Escobar (SS8) is average every day, but base. There’s more of both only Ryan Schimpf (3B4) is Fielding Two at in the lineup. Mark Trumbo third. Carpenter and DeJesus (3B3) don’t help. (9 hits, 3 walks, 1-1-0-0, Dyson is the lone OF3, but he also has a rag arm L-12 R+3), who was on the (28). All the other outfields are average (OF2), trading block all winter, Carpenter: Versatile but they all throw well (33 or better, including

48 The 2017 TBL Annual The Batmen have averaged almost 98 wins these past three seasons, but that success ends in 2017. Verlander and King Felix are gotham city: solid, but only for 59 starts. Phenom Alex Reyes will make use of his Grade 21 (and Realignment only 46 innings) as the closer. Offense is still OK, but weak in spots. Won’t be pushing

new division mate New West much in 2017. BATMENcity gotham

Stanton’s 36 cannon). This defense may help … sometimes. Gotham City moved to the Mays Divi- Bench: 2.0 sion and has been there since 1991; they are as much a fixture as any team Not much to see here. in any division in TBL. Almost half of the seasons have been contending There’s really not much to see here. Heisey’s ones, with four World Series appear- available when he’s up. DeJesus can pinch-run. ances (including one memorable vic- Despite lots of players, there are not a lot of tory). We won’t call that a dynasty, but extra games. Mr. Greenwald had enough trouble it’s an enviable record of consistency filling all the slots. Next year, some of these guys and regular success. will have moved on. Maybe Ben Paulsen (3 0s, 8 hits, 2 walks) will be one of them. What effect did realignment have on Even in the old Mays Division, this this semi-permanent resident of the Gotham City squad would have division? Surprisingly, not much. struggled to compete. Verlander is Grand Cayman was replaced by New one of only five starting pitchers who Westminster, and Calusa was replaced have 34 or more games to start, and of those, by Maracaibo. you’d only want to start two others (MadBum and Scherzer) three times in a playoff series. Without any realignment, the Annual may still The offense may sputter and at times stop alto- have ranked the Batmen third. So, Even. The real gether. The bullpen isn’t on the same level as last question, moving forward, is the direction of year’s, which helped the team to 94 wins. 2017 this noble franchise. Can they regroup for an- will be a rollercoaster ride for Mr. Greenwald. other run, even in a strong division and a strong conference? Or will the best pieces be sold off and the inevitable rebuilding begin? Stay tuned.

Trumbo: On the block, but still here TQ: 24.5 7

The 2017 TBL Annual 49 2016 rye HERONS in review

A losing season and a transformation. by Craig Musselman

2016 in Review cious. The team was old, slow, and boring. Hence Final Record: 71-91 (4th, Mays) the transformation. JT Realmuto, with a fine 10 hit The Rye Herons limped home to a 71-91 record in rookie card, was below the Mendoza line, hitting 2016, their worst record in 12 years. This is a proud .199. JT just couldn’t hit it where they weren’t. Jeff franchise, with the third most total wins in TBL histo- Samardzija wasn’t half bad on the mound, with ry, and with the fourth most wins of the 24 franchises an ERA of 4.11, but went 4-17. since 2005. This year it became clear that the end of a 3 Things run was near at hand – well over the cliff in TBL par- lance. The club dumped aging stars in September and 1. The 2017 Draft. Rye had many draft picks and began a transformation and planned “soft landing”, had the luxury of selecting the best available hoping to return to competitiveness quicker than is young player at every draft pick. Rye hoped to the norm in the TBL. The question for Rye select Benintendi, but had to “settle” is whether this soft landing will result in a for Alex Bregman in the first round. truly competitive team in a few years, or Jameson Taillon was perhaps a gem whether long term mediocrity will result. of the first round. He appears to Time will tell. know how to pitch. Rye had other What went right? plans going into the draft, but the best young hitters available in later rounds For a boring 71-91 team like this, you were all fast, young outfielders. have to drill down a bit to find some Fifteen draftees made the Rye roster things that went right. Jared Hughes for 2017. Fifteen. That changes a roster. Morales: Leader won ten games out of the bullpen, a rar- ity, before becoming the team’s “closer” 2. The Roster Transformation. The roster late in the year. Javy Lopez pitched well as the clos- changed from old and slow as molasses to young er, with a 0.59 ERA and 24 saves before he too was and speedy, in one fell swoop. The new players have shipped out in September. Going into the year, his speed to burn. The roster has changed from the old- lack of control was a concern; yet he pitched as if est in the TBL, by a lot, to one that reflects a long term he had a Z, with only 9 walks in 30 innings pitched. youth movement. There will be no more free agent Unlike JT Realmuto, he had the dice. signings of older players, as has been Rye’s practice, until the team is on the cusp of competitiveness again. What really went right is that the team’s lackluster per- A transformation. formance induced the Rye brain trust to finally give up on these geezers and begin the transformation. 3. The Future. Rye will not be competitive in 2017. As always, well more than half of the draftees will What went wrong? likely fizzle. However, some will develop into key The offense was anemic. Rye scored the fewest players. Rye has all its likely fine draft picks for runs, had the fewest homers, the lowest batting 2018 so the roster transformation is likely to be average and lowest slugging percentage in years – complete. The future is bright despite a year or two the ravages of time. The team’s fielding was atro- of losing on the horizon. It will all depend on how well these chosen rookies perform. Time will tell.

50 The 2017 TBL Annual rye HERONS

Craig Musselman (13th year)

This is not a team devoid of talent. They may have less than the average TBL team, but it doesn’t mean they’ll sink to triple-digit losses.

The Herons had actually reached the prover- That’s all right; Mr. Musselman knows he’s in for bial cliff and were leaning over it before Mr. a long slog. In the meantime, he’s got a few key Musselman pulled the trigger on a number of pieces, including SNT Alex Bregman, to root for. mid-season trades last year. Thus began the slow In three years, this team will look very different. and deliberate inching away from the edge of Pitching: 5.5 the abyss. Since then, he’s begun to assemble the pieces he hopes will compose the next great Half a season of concern. Herons team. There’s a lot of work ahead. The good news For the 2017 season, however, the Rye Herons is that there will often have trouble competing against supe- will be some rior teams, such as those in the Mays Division. highlights this season. But Turnover Rate: 46% aside from their ace, those Arrived: Tim Adleman; Alex Bregman; Trevor Brown; highlights may Keon Broxton; Joel De La Cruz; Alex Dickerson; Guillermo be few and Heredia; Whit Merrifield; Colton Murray; Zach Neal; far between. Sale: New ace Edubray Ramos; Rob Refsnyder; Mallex Smith; Jameson They’ll likely Taillon; Michael Tonkin; Nick Wittgren come unexpectedly, like finding a dollar bill on Departed: Elvis Araujo; Joe Beimel; Roenis Elias; Latroy the floor of a penny arcade. For all the promise Hawkins; Torii Hunter; Travis Ishikawa; Jim Johnson; Pat of half the rotation, they’ll eventually have to Neshek; Aramis Ramirez; Justin Ruggiano; Carlos Ruiz; J.B. turn the ball over to the bullpen, and not much Shuck; Joe Thatcher; Juan Uribe; Jason Vargas good will come of that.

Or maybe the good starters will suck it up and pitch complete games every time out. It’s fun to project a team like this. The SNT: Alex Bregman. Herons could absolutely fall apart, sinking to 100+ losses, or they could go out and win 75 games just to make us look bad. Either way, this pitching staff The eighth pick in the draft netted this will have a say in the team’s budding star. He turned 23 right success … or lack thereof. before the season and already had ROTATION. Before you write 49 MLB games under his belt. them off completely, remember that the Herons send respectable starters to the mound for

The 2017 TBL Annual 51 82 games. Ace Chris Sale (Grade 13 Offense: 6.5 C+31), Jeff Samardzija (Grade 10 Mix and match. C+22), and rookie Jameson Taillon (Grade 10 C+36) are names and The best cards on this team grades every team would like to belong to Matt Kemp (10 own. It’s the starters for the other half hits, 2 walks, 1-5-5-6, L+5 of the season that are cause for con- R-3) and Kendrys Morales cern… or ridicule. (10 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-5-5, L+5 R-4). They play every The fun starts with Tim Adleman day. More limited are Kennys (Grade 10 HR-31), who adds 13 excit- Vargas (8 hits, 5 walks, 1-5- ing starts. Joel de la Cruz (Grade 6) 5-6, L+15 R-9) and SNT Alex chips in nine more. Jered Weaver Bregman (10 hits, 1-0-0-0, 3 (Grade 4 HR-31) and James Shields walks, L-3). They smack left- Kemp: Best card

rye HERONS (Grade 4 C-31 HR-32), once studs of handed pitching. this rotation, have fallen hard and fast, but they only start 13 games between More power comes from rookie Keon Broxton them. Two innocuous starters handle (8 hits, 5 walks, 1-5-6, C33 for 27 attempts, L+5 the rest: Tyler Wilson (Grade 3 C+24) R-6) and Steven Souza (9 hits, 2 hits+22, 1-0-0, and Zach Neal (Grade 2 C+52). L-4). They each have limits, but they may contribute when called upon. That’s six players BULLPEN. When a wild Grade 14* is your with a first-column “1.” They don’t all play at closer — in this case, Will Smith (Grade 14* C-34 the same time. HR+32) — you know you’re in for late-inning fun. Add in his limit of 40 innings, and you begin Then there are to glimpse the bigger problem. He’s “set up” by two true hitters. Nick Wittgren (Grade 10* C+41), lefty Tyler Lyons These table-setters (Grade 15* HR-33), Edubray Ramos (Grade 11* even run well. C+21), Jared Hughes (Grade 10* HR+21), and Eduardo Nunez Neal (Grade 11* C+52) when he’s not starting. (11 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s, C31 for 50 Nunez: Set him loose For those of you scoring at home, that’s 278 total attempts, no shift) bullpen innings that can steal hits without a +5 plays every day. As Mr. Musselman’s instructions bonus. They only pitch in games that the Herons say: “He needs to run. Set him loose.” Against lead or trail by three runs or less. Otherwise, it’s righties, the team adds J.T. Realmuto (11 hits, 2 time for Michael Tonkin (Grade 5* HR-21) and walks+22, 3 0s, E29 for 16 attempts, L-10). Who Colton Murray (Grade 3* HR-25), who add a doesn’t love a catcher who can run? bunch of innocuous innings. They’ll likely pitch way too much. The rest of the lineup is nondescript: Jhonny Peralta (10 hits, 2 walks, 6-0-0, L-10 R+2), Whit Merrifield It took longer than expected, but Craig Musselmen (10 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s, E28 for 11 attempts, L+7, has finally begun The Rebuild in earnest. Many established vets were sent away and were R-4), Kelby Tomlinson (10 hits, 3 walks+22, R-4), replaced by guys from the 2017 draft. Matt Chase Utley (9 hits, 3 walks+42, 3 0s, L-13), Mallex Kemp, Jeff Samardzija and Kendrys Morales could be gone by the midseason trading period. Smith (9 hits, 3 walks+22, 3-5, A26 for 24 attempts, May contend for No. 1 pick. L-19 R+5), and Trevor Brown (9 hits, 2 walks+22, 3 0s). They mix and match into the starting lineups.

52 The 2017 TBL Annual Defense: 3.0 Errors waiting to happen. rye: Realignment The only highlights on this team are Tomlinson rye HERONS rye (2B8), Realmuto (C7, but Th+2), and Kemp’s arm (OF1, 35 arm). Everyone else is average or worse. Brown (C7 Th-1) isn’t bad. Nunez (SS8), Like Gotham City, Rye remained in Utley (2B7), Peralta (3B4), and Vargas (1B3) will the Mays Division. And like Gotham all make the easy plays, most of the time. All City, Rye – as a franchise – is identi- the other outfielders are average, albeit with fied with the division, as it has always mostly mediocre or weak (Broxton’s 29) arms. resided here (since it moved out of Merrifield (3B3) and Morales (1B2) are errors Incense and Peppermints Stadium waiting to happen when they play. Tomlinson is after two years as the Dunn Loring the only defensive replacement. Iconoclasts. Yes, we had a team with that name – but hey, Doug Chapin Bench: 2.5 gave us heytbl. Another piece of Not very helpful. TBL lore.)

What effect does realignment have The team has a deep bench; it’s just not very on this club? Essentially nothing. Last helpful. The best of the lot is rookie Alex year and this year were and are all Dickerson (9 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-0-0-0, L-5). Rob about the end of one era for the Rye Herons and Refsnyder (9 hits, 4 walks+22, 6-6, L+4 R-5) at the beginning of another. A few years ago we least plays everywhere, poorly. The rest are out- made quite an issue of the relative age of the fielders: Guillermo Heredia (9 hits, 4 walks+42, team; Craig Musselman is now doing something 2 0s), Delino DeShields (8 hits, 3 walks+22, 2 0s, about it. D28 for 11 attempts), and Aaron Altherr (7 hits, 4 walks+42, 2 0s, E30 for 9 attempts, L+5 R-3). From the Mays Division, Rye lost Calusa and There may be pieces for the future here, but Grand Cayman as rivals – both of whom might beyond Dickerson (who starts the year in the win the Clemente and Williams Divisions this minors), there isn’t much help. year – and in their place, they gained Maracaibo and New Westminster. All four of those teams With a T.Q. rating this low, con- are better than the current Rye team. So, in ventional wisdom says that they’ll the end, it matters not who beats them up; compete for the first pick in the they’ll still at the bottom of the standings come 2018 rookie draft, but before you go November. Overall, we judge realignment as printing that lottery ticket, bear in neither a win nor a loss. mind that this team has half a season of solid starting pitching and some decent power. This is not a team devoid of talent. It may have less than the average TBL team, but it doesn’t mean they’ll sink to triple-digit losses. Of course, the bullpen may cost as many wins as the power TQ: 17.5 can deliver. Your guess is as good as ours. 10 The 2017 TBL Annual 53 2016 Ruth Division No Mercy Final Standings Team W L Pct GB Brobdingnag* 84 78 .519 –– Hoboken 76 86 .469 8 New Westminster 66 96 .407 18 The last two years have brought Ruth Divi- Detroit 52 110 .321 32 sion championships to Brobdingnag but they have not been, you * Lost to Whitman in the IC playoffs. know, true Barbarian victories. Joe Auletta, The massive act of the TBL impresario, realignment has has worked hard to set brought the Minneso- a standard for con- ta boys over from the tending – and 73-89 Williams Division. and 84-78 teams are not up to that stan- Of the two clubs, Pat dard. This year’s team, however, is very Martin’s Knoxville much more a deep contender, and should Blue Thunder has the better present day show no mercy to its opponents in the talent; but having said that, it is more an Ruth Division and beyond. indication of the other club’s weakness than his own team’s strength. The ros- The division rivals aren’t going to do ter – including some nice new additions too much to hinder the Barbarian charge from the recent draft – is very talented, to the playoffs. The biggest challenge but some of the mainstays had deficient will come from the Hoboken Zephyrs. seasons. We believe that they’ll not be Steve Powell’s club skirted the .500 mark contending this year. in 2016; they should be better in 2017. The pitching is somewhat deficient It’s going to be another for a true contender, but the roster is rebuild for the Guru younger and stronger and loaded with out in Midwest, where Guys We Like. The last the Mongrels are in full two drafts have done Reboulet mode. Trea wonders to sweep out Turner notwithstand- the veterans, replacing ing, Darrell Skogen them with young and will be bunting his way toward the #1 exciting players. This draft pick in 2018. Even if little ball was year Brobdingnag may enough to win some games, the pitching have an easy ride, but in the long run is dreadful, and there’s no question that they’d better watch out. this year will be a slog.

54 The 2017 TBL Annual Ruth Mookie Betts, Division Brobdingnag

1. Brobdingnag 37.0 2. Hoboken 24.0 3. Knoxville 16.5 4. Midwest 16.0

The 2017 TBL Annual 55 2016 brobdingnag BARBARIANS in review

Not a year of great rejoicing. by Joe Auletta

2016 in Review second worst of his career. Chris Davis showed Final Record: 84-78 (1st, Ruth) power but little else (.224 average, .311 OBP). Almost half the games were started by the trio of It was a year of hanging a Division pennant, but Pineda, Tillman, and Urena who went 16-34 with not a year of great rejoicing. Yes, the Barbarias at- a composite ERA of 6.22. tained their fourth consecutive Ruth banner, but the 84-78 record was better only in comparison to When faced with a deeper, more complete team the 73-89 record the year before. in Whitman, the Barbarians had no answer. The season came to a definitive end when they lost in the playoffs 4 games to 1 to the Whitman River Rats. But beneath the mediocre 3 Things record, the talent base for 2017 and beyond gained experience. 1. Did the team veer off the rebuild too soon? What went right? After three seasons of youth, youth, and more youth Vlad took a major reversal of direction and added “experience” in Youth was served in family sized por- David Ortiz (42), Seung-hwan Oh (35), tions. Dee Gordon (28) hit .310, scored and Wil Harris (32) with 1st and 2nd 91 runs, and stole 43 bases. Manny round picks. And two of the five starting Machado (23) played every game, hit pitchers are dead. Clearly the future is 29 homers and had 99 RBI. Mookie now, but did they overreach, and how Betts (23) became the everyday left Trout: Best in the game far will the fall be? fielder. Rookie Carlos Correa (21) hit 25 HR in under 100 games. And Mike Trout (24) 2. Can they get past the competition in the IC? The continued to make the case as the best player in Barbarians loaded up, but so did the favorites in the game with an OPS of .914. the other two divisions—Calusa (Clemente) and New West (Mays). All three got off to fast starts On the mound Jose Fernandez (11-11, 2.22), in 2017, and it looks to be a difficult race in the Steven Strasburg (15-4, 2.47), and Aaron Sanchez regular season and the playoffs. (7-2, 6 saves, 2.89) became a core trio to build around. 3. This is Brobdingnag, so the eternal question persists: What About Second Base? After a stellar What went wrong? year of Dee Gordon, up popped a half-season drug suspension. That leaves star-rookie-turned- journeyman Steven Drew, rookie Jorge Polanco, There was simply not enough depth behind the and good-glove-what’s-a-bat? Ryan Goins to hope- young stars. Joe Mauer saw his OPS drop to the fully keep the position from being a terminal

56 The 2017 TBL Annual brobdingnag BARBARIANS Joe Auletta (29th year) It’s clobberin’ time!

Last year, this fearless prognosticator looked at top 3 have 83 starts of the brutally obvious fact that Joe’s frozen min- Grade 13 and above. ions were both young and good, and predicted Joe’s patience with they would soon morph into a juggernaut. Chris Tillman (Grade 12 Well… the juggernaut is in, and it’s party time in C-24, 30 starts) finally Albuquerque. paid off, as he checks in with a nice full season The one proviso is that Joe’s savvy drafting and Sanchez: Looks good of starts. trading has been something of a victim of outra- geous fortune. His pitching features two pitch- The last 49 starts are less impressive. Yordano ers whose next public appearances may be as Ventura (Grade 8 C-26, 32 starts), who died in extras on “The Walking Dead” – Jose Fernandez a Jeep crash over the winter, has one more full and Yordano Ventura. His hitting attack features season here to build memories. The enigmatic the comfortably retired David Ortiz and catcher Michael Pineda (Grade 7, 32 starts) takes the rest. Sandy Leon, this year’s Landrum Effect poster The top of this rotation has a championship look. boy. Opponents that think that the back part of the rotation leaves Brobdingnag a little vulnerable This club is terrific, and they will continue to should keep reading… contend for quite a while. But this year’s team is targeted at TBL title number 6 – right here, right Turnover Rate: 34% now. Nothing less will do. There will be some Arrived: Nick Ahmed, Christian Bethancourt, Ryan settling of contents down the road. But first, it’s Buchter, Alex Claudio, Stephen Drew, Ryan Goins, Will clobberin’ time! Harris, Sandy Leon, Seung-Hwan Oh, David Ortiz, Jorge Pitching: 14.0 Polanco, Yordano Ventura.

Starts solid; bullpen deep. Departed: Dustin Ackley, J. P. Arencibia, Byron Buxton, Arquimedes Caminero, Wei-Yin Chen, Derek Holland, Aaron Loup, Joe Mauer, Dioner Navarro, Ruben Tejada, Pat Venditte, ROTATION. The starting rotation features three Brett Wallace. guys who steal 8s without help. The ace for this SNT: Seung-Hwan Oh. year is Jose Fernandez (Grade 14 C+15 HR+32, 29 starts), whose tragic death this winter sent shock The Final Boss was sitting waves through all of baseball. Twenty-four-year- there for Joe in the second olds with a heroic backstory and an unlimited round of the 2017 TBL draft. future are not supposed to die in accidents like this. At 35 years of age, he is the oldest SNT in league history, Fernandez’ last season is augmented by Aaron San- but he fits perfectly into the chez (Grade 14 C-13 HR+33, 30 starts) and Stephen Barbarians’ ‘win now’ phi- Strasburg (Grade 13 HR+15, 24 starts) – two guys losophy for this year. that would look good in any starting rotation. The

The 2017 TBL Annual 57 BULLPEN. This is the It starts with three of the best cards part of the team that will in TBL. David Ortiz (11 hits, 4 walks, make Brobdingnag tough 1-1-6-6-6) has a 2 speed number, 3 24s to beat in the playoffs. on his card and cannot hit and run, Hammer Time starts with but Joe will find a lineup slot for him Cam Bedrosian (Grade anyway. Mike Trout (10 hits, 6 walks, 22*, HR+55, 40 IP), son of 1-0-0-0, 31 SSN for 36 attempts) won a former Cy Young award the American League MVP award winner. Ryan Buchter Ortiz: Find a slot again last year. Mookie Betts (12 hits, 2 (Grade 22* C-46 HR+34, 63 walks, 1-0-0-0, 33 SSN for 30 attempts) innings) and Craig Kimbrel (Grade finished second to Trout in the MVP voting. 21* C-62 HR+34, 53 IP) will be Third baseman Manny Machado (11 hits, 2 regulars when the games are close walks, 1-5-5-6) finished fifth. and late. The second half of the order includes CF Jackie The kicker is that none of those guys Bradley, Jr. (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0-0, R+2), 1B is the closer. Seung-Hwan Oh (Grade Hanley Ramirez (10 hits, 3 18* C+32 HR+34, 80 IP) is the guy walks, 1-0-0-0), and SS Carlos who will get most of the saves this Correa (9 hits, 4 walks, 1-6- year, although his role and the roles 6, 31 SSN for 16 attempts). of the other relievers will be game Ramirez is the first baseman dependent. No matter – the top 4 over Chris Davis (8 hits, in the pen have 236 innings of soul- 5 walks, 1-5-5, R+1) who, withering Grade 18*+ relief. hilariously, gets shuffled into the pile most afternoons There are two nice middle reliev- Trout: MVP because of his glove. ers to bail out the weaker starters.

brobdingnag brobdingnag BARBARIANS Roberto Osuna (Grade 15* C+41, There are two positions where Brobdingnag 74 IP) and Will Harris (Grade 15* employs platoons. Steven Drew (9 hits, 4 C+24 HR+45, 64 IP) add another walks, 1-5-5-6, R+1) and Jorge Polanco (10 hits, 138 innings when rolling 8s won’t help you. 2 walks, 4-5-6) share the second base duties. Alex Claudio (Grade 10* C+32 HR+52, 52 IP) Cameron Rupp (9 hits, 2 walks, 1-0-0-0, L+10, is an awfully nice spare part, but will barely R-4) and Sandy Leon (11 hits, 3 walks, 4 0s, make it off the bench all year. Daniel Norris L+9) will try to keep Christian Bethancourt (8 (Grade 9, 69 IP) and John Broxton (Grade 10*, hits, 2 walks, 1-6-0) on the bench all season. 61 IP) will mop up when the games get silly. The depth of this bullpen means that Joe is The power in this lineup goes 7 or 8 deep ready for a deep playoff run. With 570 innings every day, and the core cards match up with to burn, there is no reason not to be aggressive. any group in TBL. The TQ ratings have them Offense: 14.0 as the best offense in the league. Power goes 8 deep. The 2017 edition of the Barbarians should bring a smile to Vlad’s lips (if that’s even possible). 113 Joe casually mentions that 250+ homers is ex- starts of Grade 12 and above. Over 150 relief pected from this group. When guys are throw- innings of Grade 21* or more and 230 of Grade 18* and above! There is an All Star at almost ing out numbers like that in their emergency every position. Should have the best record in instructions, you know there’s a stacked lineup. TBL in 2017 and are the favorite to win it all.

58 The 2017 TBL Annual Defense: 6.0 is primarily glove men like Ahmed, Lots of replacements. Goins, and Sandy Leon, who despite his card never pinch hits. Dee Gordon There’s the defense they start with, and the can pinch run when that service is defense they end with. Joe makes heavy use of required. A good group, and they all BARBARIANS brobdingnag defensive replacements in his instructions, largely have roles. replacing weaker gloves in the starting lineup with Fielding One guys off the bench. Case in This race will be over by point: Carlos Correa (SS8) gets replaced by Nick Mother’s Day. Brobding- Ahmed when the score is close. Cameron Rupp nag’s challenges will come (C7, Th-1) sits down for San- from outside the division dy Leon (C8, Th+5). Hanley – New Westminster will give them Ramirez (an undeserved trouble in the playoffs. But no one in 1B2 – he was better than this the Ruth can stay with them over the for the Red Sox) gets the course of the season. hook for Chris Davis (1B5). brobdingnag: Some guys don’t need any Realignment Leon: Fielding One help. Mike Trout (OF3, 33 arm), Mookie Betts (OF3, 32 arm) and Jackie Bradley, Jr. (OF3, 33 arm) are outstanding outfielders. Manny Machado (3B5) New Westminster moved out of the is as good as anyone at the hot corner. Both sec- Ruth Division just as they were emerg- ond basemen are 2B7s, but Ryan Goins (2B8) is ing as a threat to win the TBL World around in case Joe gets bored with having good Series. Brobdingnag should coast hitters everywhere. along for a few years at the top of the Ruth with Mr. Jeatt off terrorizing the Where there are problems, Joe has answers on Mays Division. The team that moved the bench. This is a very good defensive team. in? The Midwest Mongrels – perhaps Bench: 3.0 the worst team in TBL. Win. Roles for everyone.

The primary pinch hitter is Chris Davis (8 hits, 5 walks, 1-5-5, R+1) who will be used to hit for Cameron Rupp every day. The rest of the bench

Ventura, Fernandez: Walking Dead

TQ: 37.0 Davis: Primary PH

The 2017 TBL Annual 59 2016 hoboken ZEPHYRS in review

Another step in the slow and sometimes tedious process of by Steve Powell rebuilding.

2016 in Review and Freddie Galvis filled out the lineup. Absent Final Record: 76-86 (2nd, Ruth) was also the one thing that made the contend- Hoboken experienced a nice upturn in its devel- ing Dallas teams a force was speed on the bases. opment with a 22 game improvement from the Hoboken stole only 53 bases all year with .225 previous year. Flirting with .500 and respect- hitting Jake Marisnick leading all batters with ability all year, we finished at 76-86 (as opposed only 22. to 54-108 in 2015). We look at it as another step in the slow and sometimes tedious process of 3 Things rebuilding.

What went right? 1. Improve the infield defense. Hoboken committed 108 errors in 2016 and It’s a complete mystery how a Jon if it’s one thing a young pitching Niese, a gift from Munich, became staff needs is solid defense behind our best starter winning 13 of 29 them. Having an infield that includes starts to lead the staff with an ERA Lindor, Galvis, and Javier Baez is a under 4. Rookie Chris Heston justi- start. James McCann and his Th+6 fied his high draft status with 10 wins can’t hurt either. and a team leading 3.43 ERA. Overall, the pitching staff kept us in most Teixeira: Resurgent 2. For heaven’s sake, get a closer. games and held up well with a team Aside from tight defense, a starter’s ERA in the low 4’s, all without the benefit of a best friend is a strong, or in our case, an ade- true closer. quate bullpen. We go nowhere with middle graded relievers acting as closers. What went wrong? 3. Improve the power on offense. There’s no Inconsistent offense. While rookies Francisco defending the longball. While you have to Lindor and Steven Piscotty lived up to the hype, respect the all-around gap hitter, the guy with and the resurgent Mark Teixeira homered 32 20 homers and 30+ doubles, and we sport a few times, scoring against sometimes average pitch- of those, the true slugger can turn a game, a ing seemed to elude us. The age-old problem series, or even a season. of finding offensive players able to consistently get on base and keep scoring opportunities alive really showed up as the team OBP was only 50 points higher than team batting average. Too many out-makers with names like Starlin Castro

60 The 2017 TBL Annual hoboken ZEPHYRS

Steve Powell (28th year) It’s always good dealing with one behemoth at a time.

With some rebuilding teams, you can see it coming together. This is SNT: David Dahl. one of them. Steve Powell has been col- lecting nice pieces of the puzzle since 2014, David Dahl was a .310 hitter with an when he broke it all down and started over. That .870 OPS in his minor league career. year, they won 48 games. Steve grabbed Nick He has size, youth (23 years old) and the Castellanos and Javier Baez in the first round of the 2015 draft and they’ve been clawing cool, thin air of the Colorado Rockies their way back to respectability ever since. working in his favor. He got off to Last year, they won 76. This year, they a bit of a tough start this season, are looking up at Brobdingnag, which spending April on the disabled may be the league’s best team. list with a fractured rib. When he’s right, he Pitching: 4.0 should deliver cards that Steve can shuffle into Will compete when ahead late. the middle of his lineups for years.

ROTATION. This part of the team is lagging the As an added extra, Steve will spend the season rest of the operation. And Steve knows it, which rooting for Aaron Judge, a 26 year old monster- is why he drafted the promising Kenta Maeda in-training who won a job with the Yankees out (Grade 12 C+22, 32 starts, 22 Fatigue) in the sec- of spring training. Judge has plus plus power ond round of the TBL draft. Matt Moore (Grade 10 C-15, 33 starts) has a full season of starts and – he has 5 homers in his first 47at bats this year. a reasonable fatigue, unlike Maeda. Luis Cessa He could be the most important hitter on the (Grade 10 C+31 HR-41, 9 starts) will pitch on team this time next year. days when gale force winds are blowing straight out. Carlos Rodon (Grade 8, 28 Turnover Rate: 37% starts) is a lefty, so he’ll get clubbed. Arrived: Keith Hessler; Kyle Crockett; Ryan O’rourke; Hoboken goes Jose A. Ramirez; Steven Moya; Luis Cessa; Aaron Judge; into 2017 with 102 Brian Flynn; Andrew Toles; Kenta Maeda; Josh Bell; starts of Grade 8 David Dahl; Albert Almora or better. Departed: Oswaldo Arcia; Christian Colon; Brandon Things get a little Cunniff; Steve Geltz; Keith Hessler; Chris Heston; Bryan Morris; Jonathon Niese; Cesar Ramos; Jason Rogers; too interesting Travis Snider; Mark Teixeira; Giovanny Urshela after that. Archie Bradley (Grade 5 C-25 HR+15, 26 Maeda: Promising starts), Josh Tomlin

The 2017 TBL Annual 61 (Grade 6 C+46 HR-32, 29 starts) and Josh Reddick (10 hits, the enigmatic Wily Peralta (Grade 4 3 walks, 3 0s, R+4, 115 HR-14, 23 starts) eat up the last 60 games). All these guys starts. It won’t be pretty. start in the regular lineups except Toles, who BULLPEN. There is a closer. And is up early and late, and someone to set him up. Brian Flynn gets the summer off. (Grade 18* C-36 HR+25, 55 IP) gets to pitch when the pressure is on, but is Some guys play all year. lefthanded. David Phelps (Grade 17* Stephen Piscotty (9 hits, C-23 HR+33, 87 IP) is righthanded, and Castellanos: Terrific 3 walks+42, 1-6-6) bats has enough innings to set himself up. fifth, and the outstand- Jockeying for seventh inning work are ing Francisco Lindor (11 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, 31 Ryan O’Rourke (Grade 14* C-33 HR+13, SSN for 24 attempts) bats second. Matt Joyce 25 IP), Jeremy Jeffress (Grade 13* C+21 (8 hits, 6 walks, 1-5-6) is the leadoff man with HR+52, 58 innings), and Jose Ramirez all those 14s. Javier Baez (10 hits, 1 walk+42, (Grade 13* C-33 HR+36, 33 IP). These 1-0-0, 31 SSN for 15 attempts) has emerged as a guys add 116 innings. The Zephyrs have decent hitter and plays third all season. Starlin 258 innings of grade 13* and above – a Castro (10 hits, 1-0-0-0), who was supposed to nice total for a team still in rebuild. be a superstar by now, will play second and bat hoboken ZEPHYRS eighth. James McCann (8 hits, 2 walks, 1-6) is Dennis Tepera (Grade 12* C+15 HR+45, the everyday catcher, but not because of his bat. 18 IP) is terrific until you notice how short of innings he is. Vidal Nuno (Grade 8* C+41 This is an emerging offense that is waiting for HR-24, 59 IP) will work all year as a middle man. the big cards to show up. Dahl was a nice addi- Jose Alvarez (Grade 6* C+33 HR+36, 57 IP) and tion for a club that could use some pop. And Kyle Crockett (Grade 6* HR+62, 16 IP) will mop up Aaron Judge (7 hits) could be really special. when things get gruesome. They’re coming … Defense: 6.5 Hoboken will compete when they are ahead late. Get them early, or you don’t get them at all. Very solid. But the shallow pool of relief innings coupled with the modest starter fatigues could spell We have contended that if you really want to trouble late in the season. win, your infield needs to be anchored by an Offense: 8.0 SS9. Steve Powell apparently took that advice and ran with it – he has three. Francisco Lindor An emerging offense. (SS9) is the guy that actually gets to play, but if he overindulges on dollar beer night, Hoboken Nick Castellanos (11 hits, 2 walks, 1-4-5-6, 110 can run out Freddy Galvis (SS9) or their regular games) and David Dahl (11 hits, 2 walks, 1-0-0-0, third baseman Javier Baez (2B8, SS9, 3B5, OF2, 63 games) are really terrific young hitters, and 1B4) – who could be the best defensive player they will play regularly against right-handed in TBL history. James McCann (C8, Th+6) is starters. They are also symptomatic of a team outstanding behind the plate, and Josh Reddick that is not quite ready for Prime Time. Both of (OF3, 36 arm) is one of the best outfielders in these guys play partial seasons, as do Andrew the entire league. Toles (11 hits, 2 walks, 5 0s, 48 games) and

62 The 2017 TBL Annual There are a few other hoboken: regulars who Realignment are solid hoboken ZEPHYRS hoboken glove men. David Dahl (OF2) and It’s always good dealing with one Matt Joyce behemoth at a time. In this case it’ll Lindor: Gets to play (OF2, 33 arm) be Brobdingnag, as New Westminster, are competent, and they are backed up by Jake a real serious contender this year, Marisnick (OF3, 35 arm), who is outstanding has moved to the Mays Division. The and can play all three OF positions. Detroit Stars have also left the building, relocated to the Mantle. Steven Piscotty (1B3) and Starlin Castro (2B7) and very average defenders, but are the only real In their place are Knoxville and weak spots. This is a very solid defensive team. Midwest, departed from the Williams. Bench: 3.5 That old-style Minnesota rebuilding Gathering the forces. will be the order of the day. Knoxville has a few assets, but Midwest will need all the flea and tick spray they The bench is smaller than it may appear because can get, as they may be the worst some of the starters have limited usage. Andrew team in TBL. Toles (OF2, 31 arm) and Josh Bell (9 hits, 5 walks, 3 0s, 45 games) are very nice hitting All of this makes Hoboken – the behemoth not- options off the bench. Stephen Moya (10 hits, 2 withstanding – positioned better than it had walks, 1-4-5-5) will be brought on to scare the been before the shuffle. There’s no question daylights out of some reliever late. If McCann who wins the division; but if the club can win gets pinch-hit for in a close game, Travis enough to make the playoffs, it’ll be interesting d’Arnaud (C8, Th-3) is a competent backup to see how far they go. As for 2018 and beyond catcher. – there is every reason to believe their young core players will take them very far. This is a very good bench for a team gathering the forces.

Dr. Steve, then owner of the Dallas Eagles, They will finish well behind finished the 2014 season at 48-114, one of the worst records in Eagles history. That off- Brobdingnag, but that should still season the franchise relocated to Hoboken, be good enough for second place in and every year since their record has improved. 54 wins in 2015 and 76 last year. this division. The real question is 2017 is the year they break .500! Yeah! whether they can improve on last year’s total of 76 wins. We think so; but with so much young talent, they are probably a year away from a deep playoff run. TQ: 24.0

The 2017 TBL Annual 63 2016 knoxville OUTLAWS in review

It just didn’t happen. by Robert Jordan

2016 in Review What went wrong? Final Record: 78-84 (3rd, Williams) Knoxville did not overall have a good year After 105 wins in the 2015 season, Knoxville with the bats. They scored 708 runs and hit showed up with a nice lineup and solid pitching only 147 homers. They finished 11th in the for 2016, and were chosen by the Annual to win league in runs, 11th in hits, and 13th in slug- the Williams by a nose over Taylorville and Las ging – a picture of mediocrity. On the pitching Vegas. After sweeping division rival Vegas 4-0 side, this was the Year of the Pitcher in TBL, so at the beginning of June, they were 26-19, and Knoxville’s numbers were only relatively weak. poised for a great year. They finished 14th in team ERA at 3.98, and ninth in team WHIP (1.23). It just didn’t happen. By the last week in August, they were 51-50 and star- But the biggest frustration of the ing up at two division rivals that were season had to have been the team engaging in a heated pennant race defense. Knoxville committed 152 without them. Pat switched gears, errors last year, more than any other making several September trades that team in TBL except Grand Cayman. bolstered his 2017 draft, then dealt When you’re struggling with a away Brian Dozier to Grand Cayman good but not great team, errors at for two #1s and other goodies on draft key moments can lead to some long day. They coasted home with 78 wins, nights at the game table. and a trainload of 2018 draft picks. Turner: Terrific 3 Things What went right? 1. Pulling the Plug. Pat watched the team bump Justin Turner had a terrific year, with a along the .500 mark for five months before .312/.387/.490 slash line in 119 games. Andrew deciding to cash out in September. By dealing McCutcheon established his superstar credentials good cards to contenders, he did far better than as well (.291/.383 /.475 with 68 extra base hits and he might have had he waited for the offseason. 107 walks). Michael Brantley had 47 doubles, went 18 for 19 stealing, and scored 86 runs. 2. Drafting Jose Peraza. He’s a good young second baseman for Cincinnati who will replace On the pitching side, the Knoxville bullpen was spec- the suddenly departed Brian. Dozier. Pat took tacular. Zach Britton and Hector Rondon combined Peraza with the 9th pick in the 2017 draft. for 29 saves, allowing only 57 hits in 97 innings. Jason Hammell threw 5 shutouts in 31 starts. 3. Acquiring Byron Buxton. Pat paid a bundle for him, shipping his 2018 #1 to Brobdingnag Another thing that did go well was Pat’s mid- for the young speedster. The development of season trading binge. Knoxville has a gigantic Buxton will be watched closely this year from 2018 draft coming, and is already on its way to Pat’s seat at Target Field. putting a very young team on the field.

64 The 2017 TBL Annual knoxville BLUE THUNDER

Pat Martin (31st year) This could be a shorter than average bounce.

Fortunes rise and fall with blinding speed in Blue Thunder 32 starts of guys who steal hits TBL. Two years ago, Pat Martin rode a jugger- without help. naut to 105 wins and a Williams Division title. Last year, they showed up at the draft loaded Then comes 101 starts of steaming Meh. Gerrit once again and were picked by the Annual to Cole (Grade 6 C+14 HR+41, 21 starts) is a good win the Williams for the second straight year. young starter who will deliver better grades in They got out of the gate well, but were floun- future years. Tyler Duffy (Grade 7 C+31 HR-22, 26 dering for most of the summer, and Manager starts) will be steady and unspectacular.Michael Pat Martin decided to accelerate the inevitable Fiers (Grade 6 C+22, 30 starts) came over in one rebuild by selling off some shiny objects in the of those September trades. Patrick Corbin (Grade September trading period. 5, 24 starts, nice hitting card) would make a good pinch hitter, but rules prevent it. In 2017, they are rebuilding again, but the 2018 draft is stacked and the late season arrivals are Turnover Rate: young and have talent. The switch to the Ruth 60% Division brings some challenges – Joe Auletta is currently managing one of the best and young- Arrived: Jett Bandy; Justin Bour; Peter Bourjos; Byron Buxton; Andrew Chafin; J.T. Chargois; Gerrit Cole; Kyle est teams in TBL. The path to the top of the Ruth Gibson; Chris Gimenez; Justin Grimm; Robbie Grossman; goes through the frozen wastes of Brobdingnag, Tommy Joseph; Jeff Mathis; Shelby Miller; Jose Peraza; but Pat Martin has seen many such challenges in Dalton Pompey; Ryan Pressly; Sean Rodriguez; Tyler his three decades with us. We will watch as he Skaggs; Neil Walker; Blake Wood. gathers the forces. Departed: Brandon Barnes; Michael Brantley; Andrew Pitching: 3.0 Cashner; Michael Cuddyer; Brian Dozier; Danny Duffy; Meh to flammable. Jason Hammel; Luke Hochevar; Adam Lind; Jordan Lyles; Yadier Molina; Jose Reyes; David Ross; C. C. Sabathia; Bryan Shaw; Denard Span; Alex Torres; Jonathan Villar; ROTATION. One dead Tsuyoshi Wada. giveaway that no playoff tickets are being SNT: Jose Peraza. printed is that there is not a single double- digit grade among the Jose Peraza had one of starting pitchers. The the best cards in the ‘Ace’ of the staff is draft pool this year, and Tyler Skaggs (Grade 9 he just turned 23. His C-41 HR+24, 10 starts) Cole: Young, steaming Meh. lack of power hides how who only pitches two useful a piece of the offense months. Mike Foltynewicz (Grade 8 C+21, 22 starts) hangs around a little longer, and may he can be, and he can run. be the better pitcher. These two guys give the

The 2017 TBL Annual 65 The last 29 starts will be learning 42, 3 11s, 2 0s, B25 for 31 attempts). Apparently, opportunities for Kyle Gibson (Grade the kid will be playing his 72 games at home. 4, 25 starts) and last year’s ace Shelby Miller (Grade 1, 20 starts). Justin Bour (9 hits, 4 walks, 1-5-5) and Justin This unit is the weather vane. When Turner (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0-0) bat in the mid- Pat is ready to contend, the grades dle of the lineup against righties. The middle here will be much higher. infielder for the road managers is Neil Walker (10 BULLPEN. Shawn Kelley (Grade hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0-7-7) at 16* C+35 HR-23, 58 IP) will serve as second and Jordy Mercer the closer this year. He has a decent (9 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, L+5) grade and good control, but the at shortstop. The leadoff wind is blowing out on this guy. hitter and DH is Luis This fireman is flammable. Valbuena (9 hits, 5 walks, 1-5-6, 90 games). Sean Kelley has a bunch of 11s to set him Rodriguez (10 hits, 3 up. Justin Grimm (Grade 11* C-22 walks, 2 31s, 1-0-0-0) and Buxton: Double down HR+24, 53 IP), Blake Wood (Grade Andrew McCutchen (9 11* C-41, 77 IP) and Zach McCallister hits, 3 walks, 1-5-6) are stars and play the out- (Grade 11* C-24 HR+21, 52 IP) will field every day. Peter Bourjos (9 hits, 2 walks, be up and throwing in the bullpen 3 0s) plays centerfield and scares no one with for most of the year. Michael Dunn the stick. Double down on that when Byron (Grade 10* C+21, 42 IP) and Ryan Buxton (8 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0-0, 20 speed num- Pressley (Grade 9* C+15 HR+22, ber, 32 SSN for 11 attempts) gets the call. 75 IP) are usable guys with large

knoxville BLUE THUNDER amounts innings. Add it all up, and The catching was a bit of a hole, so Pat drafted Knoxville has 357 innings of grade 9 Jett Bandy (1-0-0, 9 hits, 2 walks + 42, no shift, and above. 70 games) so he would not have to look at the After that crew, the overworked likes of Derek Norris (1-6, 7 hits, 3 walks) or Jeff mops are J.T. Chargois (Grade 5* C-55 Mathis (2 0s, 9 hits, 41 games) every day. C+62, 23 IP), Andrew Chafin (3* HR+45, 23 IP) Against lefties, Knoxville can run out a few and Jeanmar Gomez (Grade 4* C+15 HR+25, 69 scary hitters. Tommy Joseph (1-1-0-0, 9 hits, 2 IP). They will pitch more than one would hope. walks, L+4) will make some southpaws pay for Offense: 7.5 their lack of vision. Steve Pearce (1-5-6, 10 hits, 4 Good days and bad days. walks, 2 31s, 85 games, L+5) might have the best card on the team other than Peraza. He bats second and DHs against lefties. Robbie Grossman There are still elements of the (1-6-6, 10 hits, 5 walks, R-5, L+5, 99 games) also Knoxville hitting attack of appears only when a lefty is starting, although 2015 here, although the lights he may sneak into some games against righties are a little dimmer with this with this nice card. version of the team. They will have their good days and their bad Conspicuous by his absence in days. All but the best lefthanders will struggle the instructions is rookie prize when Pat loads up, but the right-handed lineup Bour: Middle of order Jose Peraza (12 hits, 1 walk + is pretty tame.

66 The 2017 TBL Annual Defense: 3.5 quickly. Pat executed the build-down Relentlessly average. very efficiently last year. This could be a shorter than average bounce, Knoxville is relentlessly average defensively, but they really need the kids – like except in the outfield. Byron Buxton (OF3 35 arm) Buxton and Peraza - to develop into THUNDER BLUE knoxville and Peter Bourjos (OF3, 33 arm) roam out there, everyday stars. and catch everything in sight. Andrew McCutchen (OF2, 33 arm) is solid out there too. knoxville: In the infield, Jordy Mercer (SS8) and Neil Walker Realignment (2B7) will make the plays. Jose Peraza (SS8, 2B7) can replace either one of them without a down- grade. Justin Turner (3B4) plays all year at third, Like Midwest, Knoxville is moving to leaving both Sean Rodriguez (1B4, OF2 with 32 the Ruth this year, which means that arm, 2B7, 3B4) and Luis Valbuena (3B4) to fight he has to avert his eyes when play- for playing time elsewhere. Tommy Joseph (1B3) ing 19 games a year with the Prince of and Justin Bour (1B3) are at first to get their bats in Darkness. the lineup. Behind the plate, Jeff Mathis (C8 Th+1) and Jeff Bandy (C7 Th+4) are pretty darn good. The Williams, which the Minnesota Chris Gimenez (C7 Th-3) and Derek Norris (C7, clubs have departed, is no walk in the Th-4) will play if they have to. park, though, with Rich Meyer and Grand Cayman and Trader Jack count- There’s nothing much here to admire, but they aren’t ing hit numbers on their pitching cards. awful anywhere either. They’ll make the plays most days and finish in the middle of the pack. Assuming we don’t go through anoth- Bench: 2.5 er major shakeup in teams and divi- Nice for a rebuilder. sions next year, Knoxville will again be in the Ruth; if the rebuild goes well, they may well be jostling with the There is an entire lefthanded lineup ready to Brobdingnag juggernaut and the other pounce on a southpaw in the late innings, so this rising young team – Hoboken – for is not a team to try and play matchups against. chances at post-season play. For the moment, Byron Buxton will make an outstanding pinch we’d call Knoxville’s relocation here a draw. runner on days that he’s not starting. Bour and Joseph provide be a power-hitting pinch hit option. Pat Martin is another in a long line of vet- Sean Rodriguez plays 7 positions, so anyone can eran TBL managers beginning an arduous be replaced as long as Sean is around to slide over rebuild. Many long time vets were shipped out and young talent took their places. Score defensively. This is a nice bench for a rebuilder. cards will sell well in the Thunder Dome in 2017! A top five draft choice is all but assured. The TQs have them falling short of Hoboken, but clearly better than Midwest. The ‘race’ between Midwest and Knoxville may come down to who sheds what pieces in September. TQ: 16.5 Shawn Kelley – a 33 year old Grade 16* – is obviously on roller skates and could leave town 22

The 2017 TBL Annual 67 2016 midwest MONGRELS in review The Dawgs sunk into the abyss. by Darrell Skogen

2016 in Review 3 Things Final Record: 48-114 (4th, Williams) Part one of the plan went into effect in 2016. The Dawgs sunk into the abyss after gutting 1. Victor Martinez the team, and only won 48 games, their worst will have to return from injury showing under the Guru. It’s hard to win when and hit well in the cleanup spot. There is better you hit .230, have an ERA of 5.46, and give up a offense possible on this squad, and he will be staggering 996 runs while only scoring 576. The counted on to plate the men who get on base reward, however, was Trea Turner, the corner- in front of him. The load will be shared with stone in the rebuild of the team. Hosmer, who has bulked up and promised to hit more four-baggers this season. What went right? 2. The emphasis is still on getting younger. This is the second year of the plan. At the Ryan Madson sparkled with a 1.27 draft, we picked up a diamond in Trea ERA, recording 35 K in 28 innings, Turner, but we also picked up a future turning into Matt Andriese at the closer in Edwin Diaz, two young trade deadline. Felipe Rivero kicked pitching hopefuls in Braden Shipley in a 2.87 ERA with 41 whiffs in 37 and Jose Berrios, and a resurgent innings. Eric Hosmer hit .297 with Ricky Nolasco to anchor the starting 33 doubles and 14 homers. Rougned rotation. The boys should do better, Odor only hit .246, but that included although it will still not be pretty. Hosmer: What went right 20 doubles, 10 triples, and 18 hom- 3. Team leader David Wright ers. Eddie Rosario’s .253 featured 27 doubles, 20 has been triples, and 22 homers. cut free as a player and becomes the manager this season. It will be his duty to find combi- What went wrong? nations that work to maximize team record. Martinez steps into an assistant GM position Everything. Aaron Harang (6-17, 6.89), Jeremy while remaining the every day DH, and his goal Hellickson (3-20, 6.51), Phil Hughes (6-14, 5.10) is to help the Guru continue to scout the big and Alfredo Simon (9-18, 6.10) underwhelmed leagues this season to find serviceable players as starters. Mike Aviles, Trevor Plouffe, Alexei in next spring’s draft. The original plan was two Ramirez, Rene Rivera, and Danny Santana all years of fixing to get competitive, and now it hit under .200 with at least 175 at bats each. looks like it will be three instead. Think about that as you redefine ineptitude. Nevertheless, the bleeding has been stopped and the healing begins this season. The Dawgs are ready to surprise TBL as they begin play in the newly created Ruth Division this season.

68 The 2017 TBL Annual midwest MONGRELS

Darrell Skogen (16th year)

Last with a downward-facing bullet.

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that Mr. SNT: Trea Turner. Skogen has been with us for 15 years? The years roll by and his easy sense of humor and youthful The Turner selection at #1 in the love of the game make it seem like he just signed 2017 TBL draft was announced on. But the Guru has had a nice long run in this before Christmas, and no one excellent league, including his 2009 TBL title and could possibly question this one. a second World Series appearance in 2014 that Turner plays a scarcity posi- almost racked up a second trophy. tion (SS) is very young (23) and has an exceptional minor league track He has been here long enough to have endured record. This one was a no brainer. the patience-testing indignity of a deep rebuild. In Darrell’s first two years in the league, he won The stunner in the Midwest draft 101 games. So last year’s 48 win ice bath was was Darrell’s second pick – Seattle reliever Edwin not in any way pleasant, but it was territory that Diaz. Diaz is a gifted pitcher – 88 strikeouts in 52 Darrell has trod before. This is a guy that knows innings tells you what you need to know about his what he wants – and what he wanted this winter stuff. But taking relievers this early in a rebuild is was a five tool, can’t miss superstar shortstop unconventional. The Guru has surprised us before names Trea Turner. Turner is now here, and and has two World Series appearances to his credit. futures are now pointing up in Midwest. We all get to watch this come together. Pitching: 4.0 Dismal. this season. Well, the 14 season ticket holders may ROTATION. Mr. Skogen is a great believer in parade to the bar for some of asphyxiating pitching during his championship the hard stuff after watching runs. A casual glance at this staff of misfits will this bunch. Let’s call the roll, tell you that no parades are planned for Midwest and let you, dear reader, pick out the ace of this rotation. Turnover Rate: 54% Zack Davies (Grade 8 C+24, Arrived: Scott Alexander; Dario Alvarez; Jose Berrios; 28 starts) kicks it off with Davies: Ace, sort of Ramon Cabrera; Juan Centeno; Jhoulys Chacin; Mike most of a season of starts Clevinger; Cheslor Cuthbert; Edwin Diaz; Carlos Estevez where he steals 9s without help. He does not Ryan Garton; Yulieski Gurriel; Tommy Hunter; Tony Kemp; Chad Kuhl; Ricky Nolasco; Braden Shipley; Trea have the highest grade on the staff, however. Turner; Kirby Yates. That honor belongs to the totally wild Mike Clevinger (Grade 9 C-62, 10 starts). We have Departed: Mike Aviles; Brian Duensing; Yimi Garcia; one full-season starter - Ricky Nolasco (Grade Brandon Gomes; J.R. Graham; Alex Guerrero; Aaron 7 C+24, 32 starts). Nolasco pitched his first 21 Harang; Jeremy Hellickson; Phil Hughes; Kyle Lohse; Henry Owens; Jimmy Paredes; Glen Perkins; Wandy starts for Darrell’s beloved Twins. One wonders Rodriguez; Alfredo Simon; Chris Stewart; David Wright. if the Guru had a special spring in his step when Ricky got traded to the Angels last year.

The 2017 TBL Annual 69 There’s more Grade 7 starts where Dario Alvarez (Grade 6* C+33 HR-41, 27 IP, 41K) is that came from. Matt Andriese an intriguing grab and stash who may have seri- (Grade 7 C+32, 19 starts) and Chad ous upside. Jose Berrios (Grade 1, 58 innings), Ryan Kuhl (Grade 7 C+15 HR+21, 14 Garton (Grade 6* C+25, 39 IP) and Kirby Yates starts) eat up a full season between (Grade 7* C-33 HR+15, 41 IP) round out the pen. them, bringing the total to 103 before This group will pitch a lot, and they are one unit the wheels fall off. whose best cards are definitely in front of them. Offense: 5.5 Jhoulys Chacin (Grade 5 HR+25, 22 starts) and Braden Shipley (Grade Starting to come together. 4 C-21 HR-32, 11 starts) will pay the price for 33 starts before Justin The middle infield is beau- Nicolino (Grade 3 C+25 HR+21, tiful. Trea Turner (12 hits, 13 starts) goes out to get pounded. 2 walks, 1-4-5-6, 3 11s, 32 Nicolino is innocuous for 25 starts, SSN for 33 attempts) and which means either Jordan Lyles or Rougned Odor (10 hits, Jose Berrios wlll have to toe the rubber 1 walk, 1-5-5-6) are very as a Grade 1 for one start. Dismal. young and really good. Turner has 73 games to BULLPEN. There are some really show off, all of them nice arms here in the bullpen. The at home where Darrell Odor: Young and good veteran Fernando Rodney (Grade 14* can keep an eye on him. midwest MONGRELS C-54 HR+32, 65 IP) is the closer. He Odor plays second base all year. Eric Hosmer has the exciting Edwin Diaz (Grade (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0) is off his highs of recent 13*, C+21 HR+24, 52 IP) to years, but is coming into his age 27 season. He set him up. Diaz throws plays first every day. Victor Martinez (10 hits, 3 smoke despite being as walks, 1-5-6-7-7) is the everyday DH, and can skinny as a super model. still swing the stick. Felipe Rivero (Grade 11* C-23 HR+23, 77 IP) pitched Cheslor Cuthbert (10 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s) plays a lot and effectively for third and bats fifth in many lineups. Aaron Pittsburgh. Mike Morin Hicks (8 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, 17 speed number) (Grade 9* C+21 HR+16, 56 will use his speed to lead off this year. Eddie Rodney: Closer IP) is also a solid young Rosario (10 hits, 1-4-6) bats sixth and plays arm. There’s a lot of guys left much of the year. Alexei Ramirez (9 hits, 1 we like here and they will be respectable for walk, 3 0s) has certainly had better cards, but about 250 innings. still suits up every day. Andrew Romine (9 hits, 2 walks + 42, 2 0s) is the ‘road shortstop’. The The rest are filler, and Midwest is hoping that catchers are Juan Centeno (10 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s, one or more of them will morph into a top-shelf 55 games) and Ramon Cabrera (9 hits, 1 walk, grade in future years. Tommy Hunter (Grade 9* 3 0s) against righties and Rene Rivera (8 hits, 2 C+26 HR+54, 34 IP) and Carlos Estevez (Grade walks, 1-0) against lefties. 8* C-32 HR+15, 55 IP) are the best of what’s left. Scott Alexander (Grade 6* C-15 HR+45, 19 IP) With Turner eating only home cooked meals this and Jordan Lyles (Grade 7* C-25 HR+36, 59 IP) year, the lineup thins out quickly. But this is one will keep it in the park on most nights. area where the rebuild is starting to look successful.

70 The 2017 TBL Annual Defense: 3.0 team at this point on the Oh, do we need some? rebuilding spectrum. Last with a downward- facing bullet. Midwest Defense is always an afterthought when you MONGRELS midwest are in a deep rebuild. There are a few outstand- is just getting started on ing defensive players here, however. Since Trea a trip back up the ladder that should Turner (OF2 33 arm, OF2, 2B8) can do every- take several years. Darrell joined the thing else, it follows that he will be solid with league in 2003, and it took him six the glove at second for his 73 games. Sadly, he’ll years to win his first title. This time, probably be playing shortstop most of the time he’s in the same division as the ever- with Rougned Odor (2B7) playing second all imposing Brobdingnag Barbarians, so year. Eric Hosmer (1B5) is one of the best at his he will be staring at Joe’s machinations position right now, and Aaron midwest: Hicks (OF3, 37 TBL Draft arm) is terrific in the outfield.

The rest of the with intensity. Let’s see how this pro- defenders are gresses. about average, Darrell’s Dawgs are being bred Hosmer: One of the best except behind with extra fur after their move to the plate. Ramon Cabrera and Juan Centeno the Ruth. The Division Title journey (C6, Th-4) and Rene Rivera (C7, Th-0) are the goes through the frozen wastes of catchers – and that’s a bit unsightly. Cheslor Brobdingnag for the next few years, Cuthbert (3B3) is the nominal starter at third, but and that is a serious challenge for anyone as Trevor Plouffe (3B4) is a solid backup. Andrew long as Joe Auletta is active in this league. Romine (SS8, 3B4, 2B7, OF2, 1B3) plays shortstop on the road. Eddie Rosario (OF2, 34 arm) is a But the division Darrell left – the Williams – good solid gloveman, but Alexei Ramirez (SS7, now boasts one of the League’s best teams 2B6, OF1 35 arm) is hoping no one hits the ball (Grand Cayman), an 8 time TBL Champion in his way. Rich Meyer, and the extremely savvy Trader Jack Chapman – a TBL title holder himself. Bench: 2.0 The Guru is about to enter the first year In this town, it’s made of wood. of the Trea Turner Era in Midwest. There’s less than half a season there, but what a half season! With only 38 starts at Grade There are few bench options. Tony Kemp (8 8 and above and nobody in the ’pen above Grade 14*, another top five draft hits, 4 walks, 3 0s, 17 speed) and Trevor Plouffe pick seems likely. (10 hits, 2 walks, 1-0-0) are usable pieces, and Plouffe is defensive upgrade over Cuthbert. There’s not much else. Danny Santana (9 hits, 2 Midwest broke about even here. walks, 0-6) is notable only for having a 9 on 44 – you don’t see that a lot. TQ: 16.0 This is the bench you would expect from a 10 The 2017 TBL Annual 71 by Walter Hunt 2016 TBL world series (based on accounts by Paul Montague)

Munich vs. Whitman

The Munich Marauders escaped a very tough play- Liriano’s outing, and promptly stole off with Melrose to reach the World Series. In the second after Darren O’Day entered the regular season, as in the earlier rounds of the post- game. Gonzalez was walked intention- season, Munich showed its dominance: but in the ally, and Joey Butler was removed in final round, it would be a whole new ballgame. favor of Prince Fielder. Andrew Miller Price As for Whitman, the road was somewhat easier: came on to pitch to Fielder, and Fielder two playoff series ended in five game victories. But won the lefty-lefty duel by singling to the right field Whitman was ready for the final challenge as well. gap. The runners were moving, and Goldschmidt Game 1 at Munich scored ahead of the throw as Gonzalez eased into Kershaw vs. Greinke third. Jacoby Ellsbury pinch-ran for Fielder and Nick Markakis hit what should have been an inning-end- The two aces faced off in the first game. Clayton ing grounder – but Jose Altuve booted it to allow the Kershaw had his moments, striking out 12 over his second run of the inning to cross the plate. Kolten 7.2 innings of work. However, he also made a couple Wong did hit into a double play, but the damage was of mistakes, as Ben Zobrist drilled a hanging slider done – 4-0 Whitman at the seventh-inning stretch. for a solo home run in the second inning to give Munich the lead, and Jose Bautista hit a two-run But all the managerial wheeling and dealing was shot in the sixth. In between, the Marauders added actually moot - David Price’s motto is “one good a run on a walk and stolen base by Bautista in the shutout deserves another”, as he baffled Munich hit- fourth, which Carlos Gomez converted ters for 6.2 innings of 3-hit ball. Whitman’s bullpen into a run with a double high off the worked the last 2.1 innings to complete the shutout wall. Meanwhile, Zach Greinke struck (although closer J.J. Hoover did allow a hit and a out only six Riverrats, but scattered walk in the ninth to make things interesting). three hits and a walk for a complete game shutout. Whitman 4, Munich 0 Greinke WP: Price LP: Liriano S: Hoover Munich 4, Whitman 0 WP: Greinke LP: Kershaw Game 3 at Whitman Game 2 at Munich DeGrom vs. Haren Price vs. Liriano The series moved to Whitman tied at one. Both teams had runners in scoring position in the first inning, but Jacob deGrom and Dan Haren both buck- Whitman ended its score- A battle of southpaws. led down to escape the jams. less streak right away, as Ben Revere led off with a single in the first, stole second, and scored on a Munich broke through in the top of the second when single by Paul Goldschmidt (although Goldschmidt Andres Blanco singled and one out later, Stephen Vogt was thrown out to end the inning trying to move made his first at-bat of the series a good one by socking up on the throw home). The visitors added a run in a ball over the right field fence to make it 2-0 Marauders. the fifth on Carlos Gonzalez’s solo homer. Whitman Munich added a run in the fourth when Blanco singled got a couple of insurance runs in the seventh inning. again, stole second on a busted hit and run play, moved Goldschmidt hit a one-out single to end Francisco to third on a ground out, and scored when Haren threw

72 The 2017 TBL Annual a pitch to the backstop. Meanwhile, deGrom had been Game 5 at Whitman cruising through four innings, striking out 8 hitters. Greinke vs. Kershaw The aces matched up with the Series tied. Whitman Whitman staged a comeback in the bottom of the and Munich both scored early runs, and in the bottom fifth, though. Number nine hitter Wong coaxed a of the fourth inning, Carlos Gonzalez and Goldschmidt walk to lead it off, and Ben Revere followed with a started by striking out. But Pierzynski doubled, and perfect hit-and-run single through the vacated short- this time Munich decided to walk Tulo with first base stop position. Wong scored and Revere open. Wong made the strategy backfire, lacing an RBI moved to second on a slow chopper to single through the hole to give Whitman the lead again. short. Fielder followed with a hit down Holt followed with a “pea” past Rizzo for a two-run the line in right and Revere scored eas- double. Ben Revere flew out to end the inning. ily to make it a one-run game. deGrom Revere exited, and Javier Lopez got the final With a 4-1 lead Kershaw cruised through two outs, sandwiched around a nerve-inducing walk the next few innings, and Greinke remained to Goldschmidt. into the seventh after a Ben Revere double. Kershaw lasted into the eighth inning, but With the game now in the hands of both bullpens, it the Whitman bullpen shut Munich down. Tulowitzki stayed 3-2 until the ninth inning. In the top half, Jason In the ninth, that pen sought to hold the Heyward drew his third walk of the ballgame, moved lead: but two walks and a hit was followed by a bases to second on a groundout, and scored on a double loaded single by Cabrera; then J. J. Hoover walked in a by Miguel Cabrera. Hector Rondon worked a perfect run, putting Jose Bautista at the plate with one out – but bottom half of the inning to preserve the lead and give he hit a grounder to Kolten Wong who turned a 2-4-3 Munich a two games to one lead in the series. double play to end the game and keep Whitman alive. Munich 4, Whitman 2 Whitman 4, Munich 3 WP: Lopez LP: Haren S: Rondon WP: Kershaw LP: Greinke S: Hoover Game 4 at Whitman Game 6 at Munich Garcia vs. Hahn Price vs. Liriano The two lefties met back in Munich with everything on The pivotal fourth game turned out to be the most excit- the line. Things started slowly, but in the third inning ing so far. It was in the hands of the bullpen early, and by Munich opened up a 3-1 lead; in the fourth inning, the bottom half of the fifth Munich led by a 3-1 score. But even though he was still throwing a no-hitter, Francisco Whitman had other plans, and a series of hits and errors Liriano walked Paul Goldschmidt and gave way to brought home six runs, making the score 7-3. the deep Munich bullpen. In the fifth inning Munich’s powerful offense, combined with fielding That was only the appetizer: the main course miscues, opened the game up. The key hit was yet to come. Munich plaed a run in the was an Andres Blanco double; that hit prob- seventh to make the score 7-4; and then in ably justified his entire year’s salary. the eighth, Miguel Cabrera and Anthony Rizzo hit back-to-back homers and Jose Bau- Whitman wasn’t done yet. In the seventh tista followed with a double – but he did not Blanco Altuve inning a Pierzynski homer made it 7-2, and come in to score, leaving Whitman still in the the River Rats mounted a rally in the ninth, scoring lead 7-6. In the ninth inning Jose Altuve hit a home run two runs against the high-grade Munich bullpen – that of his own, tying the game. It remained tied until the clearly didn’t impress Goldschmidt and Carlos Gonza- twelfth inning, when the Munich offense caught up lez, who each delivered a double. But it wasn’t enough: with the Whitman bullpen, plating four runs for the Pierzynski’s soft grounder ended the game and the victory. Series, giving Munich the championship. Munich 11, Whitman 7 Munich 7, Whitman 4 WP: A. Miller LP: Villanueva WP: Rondon LP: Price

The 2017 TBL Annual 73 2016 Aaron Division Rolling the Final Standings Team W L Pct GB Dice Maracaibo* 101 61 .623 –– Kansas† 95 67 .586 7 As noted in the lead article, we’ve had Northboro 82 80 .506 9 Statesmen 63 99 .389 17 our divisions for so long that the stories pretty much wrote themselves. Each * Lost to Munich in NC Conference final. division had its particular character, and † Lost to Melrose in the Wild Card playoff. while teams went up and down, the races remained very much the same. Now that realignment has taken place, we have to get back to work. This wasn’t exactly where Bill Schwartz ex- The Aaron is all new, pected his Kansas Koy- and the likely top con- otes to be at this time tender is a newly arrived last year. But pitching club: the highly itinerant is fickle, and sometimes Las Vegas Gamblers. it all falls apart at the Paul Harrington’s team same time. There’s a reason why most gets around, and this contending teams add pitching last; Dar- is their first tour in the rell Skogen won a few years ago by going Aaron. They’ve put everything into building against this wisdom, but there are always this team, and are the class of the division exceptions. Mr. Schwartz seems to have a this year. Is it enough to get them past con- good eye for talent, though, so maybe this ference rivals? Hard to tell. will be a temporary lull.

The Strong City Statesmen have a new The final piece to the Aaron puzzle is home and a new outlook. Most of the old the Melrose Avengers, a perennial con- stars from Portland are tender that turned in a 95-win campaign gone – we really aren’t last year. That won’t happen this year, going to talk about as Mark Freedman has sent a number of that anymore after this his superhero stalwarts packing for other year: the roster isn’t teams. We are always quite ready for prime wary at the Annual time, but Eric Shef- when we see Melrose fler has added lots of do a rebuild, since young, exciting talent. they are masters of the This isn’t quite a contender – not quite – Bounce. Check this but should be a challenge to play in 2017. space in a year.

74 The 2017 TBL Annual Aaron Division

1. Las Vegas 30.0 2. Strong City 24.0 3. Kansas 19.5 4. Melrose 18.0 Josh Donaldson, Las Vegas

The 2017 TBL Annual 75 2016 las vegas GAMBLERS in review A lot of things need to go right. by Paul Harrington

2016 in Review respectable (for a L8) ERA of 4.01. Starter Tommy Final Record: 99-63 (1st, Williams) Milone was surprisingly effective in his 14 starts, It was clear to me as the MLB 2015 season unfold- going 7-2 with a nifty ERA of 2.73! Reliever ed that the 2016 edition of the Gamblers would be Fransisco (K Rod) Rodriguez finally had a a good, if not great team. Just enough of the play- dominant season in the closer’s role, notching 45 ers were having solid campaigns that a playoff saves, his most ever in a 14 year (and counting) spot looked like a sure bet for Las Vegas and this TBL career. He is now in 9th place all time in TBL was, indeed, the case. We spent last summer in saves with 175. The bullpen, as a whole, posted a great battle with Taylorville (now Riverwoolf) the following totals: a 36-18 record with an ERA that resulted in the Gamblers finally winning of 2.45 in over 444 innings. their first (and, maybe, their last) What went wrong? Williams Division crown. A semifinal round matchup with Maracaibo was Xander Bogaerts, despite hav- a great series. We were able to push ing a fine offensive year, managed that talented squad to a game seven to make 31 errors as a SS8 in 156 where Las Vegas had a late inning games. Asdrubal Cabrera, mostly lead slip away when our vaunted starting at 2B as a 2B7, only booted bullpen gave up the lead. And the 12 balls in a 143 games! Seven regu- 2017 edition may even be better! And lars had 110 or more strikeouts, led realignment adds a new flavor to the by Bryant’s 188. mix. Las Vegas should dominate the Donaldson: A beast 3 Things Aaron Division, at least in 2017. 1. Let It Ride. The Gamblers’ winning ways What went right? should continue in 2017 as there are many good players in their primes, or just entering their When your team goes 99-63, a lot of things need primes. And going to a new division with three to go right. Team MVP Josh Donaldson was a foes either suffering setbacks or engaging in beast, with a slash line of .284/.354/.581 with rebuilds doesn’t hurt either. 43 HR and 53 doubles. He drove in 118 runs 2. Enjoy the wealth, but pray for health. There and scored 113. He also anchored third base was no real draft in 2017, except for getting all season with only four errors in 158 games. Adam Duvall, to bring in new blood for Las Rookie of the Year candidate Kris Bryant also Vegas. And there is even less there for 2018. The enjoyed a great 2016 season with 57 XBH that Gamblers need their regulars to have healthy included 25 HR and 29 doubles in 145 games. 2017 MLB seasons, because there is precious With Donaldson dominating at 3B, Bryant’s little in the cupboard to replace them for 2018. versatility is invaluable. He heads into the 2017 3. Take advantage of divisional weakness. Melrose, season as the Gamblers’ new centerfielder! On Kansas and Strong City – Las Vegas’ new com- the pitching side there were several standouts. petition in the Aaron Division, are all looking at Former Gambler (now with Knoxville) Kyle long 2017 seasons. The Gamblers need to domi- Gibson went 15-9, the most wins on the team. nate these worthies while they are down. Not Real team Ace Jose Quintana went 14-9, with a sporting I know, but that’s how you win, right?

76 The 2017 TBL Annual las vegas GAMBLERS

Paul Harrington (21st year) Will they go any further into the playoffs? They’ll have to hit homeruns with men on base, and the left-handed pitching will have to live up to expectations.

What more does Mr. Harrington have to do? He on-base and power. The team will be carried by outlasted a powerful Taylorville team to take several key players, including this year’s SNT the Williams Division with 99 wins. Yet, it was Zach Britton and last year’s SNT Kris Bryant. the lowest total of any division champ in the Pitching: 11.0 strong National Conference, and he couldn’t This could work out. get past the Conference semifinals. This success hasn’t whetted his appetite. He’s hungry for a league championship. Back in 2006, the Greater Ohio Chia Pets made the TBL World Series with a rotation led by So, this year, he’s moved to the Aaron Division three left-handers: Cliff Lee, Barry Zito, and and bulked up for another run at the title. This Bruce Chen. The 2017 Gamblers are hoping to edition of the Gamblers has a pitching staff that repeat that formula. Even their new closer, SNT leans decidedly to the left and a powerful offense Britton, is a lefty. It’s a bold strategy that bucks that features those two favorite TBL strategies: TBL tradition, but Mr. Harrington has tried many different approaches without earning a trip to the World Series. Turnover Rate: 43%

Arrived: Zach Britton; Robinson Cano; Adam Conley; They’ve got the arms and pitching grades to get Corey Dickerson; Adam Duvall; Blaine Hardy; Marco them there this year. The team runs the risk of Hernandez; Caleb Joseph; Jeurys Familia; Shawn running into an opponent loaded with lefty-kill- O’Malley; Carlos Ruiz; C. C. Sabathia; Josh Smith; Ross ers, but as the Chia Pets discovered, every team Stripling; Mark Teixeira. has at least one important bat with a significant Departed: Anthony Bass; Asdrubal Cabrera; Rusney Castillo; lefty shift, and those lefty-killing bats are often Daniel Castro; Andrew Chafin; Avisail Garcia; Kyle Gibson; limited in playing time. Cole Gillespie; Sean Gilmartin; Hisashi Iwakuma; Tom This could work out. Koehler; Manny Parra; Eury Perez; Hernan Perez; Bo Schultz. ROTATION. The ace of the staff is Jose Quintana SNT: Zach Britton. (Grade 12 C+22), who enjoyed a career year. He’s What do you do followed by fellow lefties when you make Adam Conley (Grade 11 the playoffs, but C-25 HR+22), and ageless C.C. Sabathia (Grade 10). don’t go as deep Quintana: Ace Lower down in the rota- as you expect? One tion is lefty Martin Perez (Grade 8 C-22 HR+26). idea: trade for the best That’s an amazing 118 left-handed starts. reliever in the game. The remaining 44 starts belong to R.A. Dickey (Grade 9 C-21), rookie Ross Stripling (Grade 9),

The 2017 TBL Annual 77 and a single start (of his two avail- (1-6-6, 11 hits, 3 walks, 30 SSN for 17 attempts). able) for Tyler Cravy (Grade 16 C-25). They all play every day. The bottom end of the rotation still steals hits, which means there are no The next tier brings more power to the lineup: real weaknesses. The pitching grade 2017 first-round pick Adam Duvall (1-4-5-5, 9 at the top end of the rotation may be hits, 2 walks+22, no smaller than desired, but that’s where shift), Travis Shaw the bullpen comes in. (1-0-0-0, 9 hits, 3 walks+22, L-9), and BULLPEN. The new closer is, of Corey Dickerson course, SNT Zach Britton (Grade (1-6-6-0, 9 hits, 2 28* C+22 HR+62), the best in the walks, L-9). If the set. The deep set-up crew includes hitters in front of another lefty, Brad Hand (Grade 16* Duvall: First Rounder them get on base, C-21 HR+22), along with righties they’ll bash their Cravy (Grade 16* C-25), Francisco share of homers into the cheap seats. These Rodriguez (Grade 15* HR+21), Koji three also play every day. Uehara (Grade 15* C+24 HR-23), Jeurys Familia (Grade 14* HR+62), That leaves eccentric lead-off man Francisco and Sam Dyson (Grade 14* HR+34). Cervelli (2 0s, 9 hits, 5 walks+22, 29 SSN for 8 attempts, L+8, R-3). It’s an interesting idea, but That’s 432 innings of 8-stealing good- Cervelli, who’s not slow, may be the best choice

las vegas GAMBLERS ness. In essence, these are the guys to lead off, given the rest of the lineup. That opponents will be facing from the sixth leaves part-timers James Loney (3 0s, 10 hits, a inning on when the game’s still unde- walk+22, L-12) and Shawn O’Malley (6-0, 9 hits, cided. Also available are Blaine Hardy (Grade 3 walks+22, 29 SSN for 8 attempts, no shift). 11* C-33 HR+34), another lefty, and waiver wire acquisition Joshua Smith (Grade 9* C-26 HR-25). Two-thirds of this lineup should perform well, They add 77 more innings, which should be plen- especially with all the power, but after the HR ty, considering no weaknesses in the rotation. threat of Duvall, it may be hit or miss — or should Offense: 11.5 we say swing and miss. This is a team without The formula is simple. much speed at all, same as last year, when they accrued twice as many double plays as stolen bases. But the formula is simple: walk, hit, homer. The Gamblers’ lineup fea- Defense: 6.0 tures not one, but two mon- Solid infield and Adam Duvall. ster cards: last year’s SNT Kris Bryant (1-5-5-6, 10 hits, 4 walks+42, L+4 R-3) and Donaldson (3B5) anchors a solid infield with Josh Donaldson (1-4-5-5, 10 2B8 Cano and 1B5s Loney and Teixeira. Bogaerts hits, 5 walks+22, no shift). (SS8) is just average, as is Shaw (1B3) when he There is exactly one 24 on plays first. The outfield has OF3 Duvall along both cards. Awesome. The with OF2s Bryant and Dickerson. Only Bryant Bryant: Monster top two table-setters also has an average arm, although Austin Jackson have some pop: Robinson Cano (1-0-0-0, 11 hits, (OF3, 34 arm) can carry Dickerson’s glove. 2 walks+22, L-6) and speedster Xander Bogaerts

78 The 2017 TBL Annual las vegas: Realignment las vegas GAMBLERS vegas las Last season, the Gamblers won the Williams Division. This year, the Annual is picking them to win the reconfigured Aaron. It’s a good landing Cano: Solid spot for the team, as this year’s Aaron is Behind the plate, Cervelli (C8, but Th-3), Carlos weaker than last year’s Aaron, as well Ruiz (C7, but Th+6), and Josh Phlegley (C7, as this year’s Williams. So that’s a win. Th-4) all get to play. That’s alternately good news and bad news. These Gamblers will gam- In this issue of our magazine, we’re ble that the right catcher is in at the right time. trying to tease out the idea of what Bench: 1.5 realignment means to each of our 24 teams. In some ways the path that Not much to see; move along. has brought Las Vegas to the Aaron is very illustrative of the team’s boom and bust mentality and the Marco Hernandez (5, 11 hits, 3 walks, L-2 number of times it has taken a shot at R-4) at least offers something different as a a TBL championship. Their first sea- PH. Jackson (3 0s, 9 hits, 3 walks, L-11 R+3), son was in the Ruth, but they moved as mentioned, can play defense. Ruiz (2 0s, 9 to the new Clemente Division in 1998 hits, 4 walks+42, L+2 R-3) and Josh Phegley and remained there five years (two (5-6-6, 9 hits, 2 walks+42, but 4 24s) will get bad years, two good ones including a loss in their at-bats. the IC championship series); they moved to the Mays and stayed there eight years (four good Caleb Joseph (C8 Th+2) has a purpose, and the with four playoff appearances, four bad); they less said about Teixeira’s card (1-0-0, 7 hits, 4 returned to the Clemente (one division win, walks, L+2 R-3), the better. Not much to see one decent year, one bad year); they moved here; move along. to the Williams (two bad years and last year’s 99 win season that took them deep into the While the Statesmen may push playoffs). And now the Aaron. This is the most them for a little while, the Gamblers recent stop in a long and complex pilgrimage. may wrap up the pennant race by Is this the right formula? It’s hard to say. August. Two monster cards, four In true Vegas fashion, the Gamblers pushed everything into the pot for 2017. It’s a good, more good power cards, and all solid team that should dominate the Aaron. that pitching is too much for a weakened Aaron But we have no margin for error. Win now is the Gamblers motto for this year. We’ll Division. worry about tomorrow…tomorrow!

The bigger question is: Will the Gamblers go any further into the playoffs? They’ll have to hit homeruns with men on base, and the left-handed pitching will have to live up to expectations. TQ: 30.0 The defense will help; the bench will not.

The 2017 TBL Annual 79 2016 STATESMEN in review

Who knows what direction the fickle finger of fate will point. by Eric Sheffler

2015 in Review 2016 Bonus pick Baby Brandon Finnegan showed Final Record: 63-99 (4th, Aaron) promise by tossing 46 innings to an ERA of 2.93. Statesmen move west for a new beginning in 2017.The His move to the rotation is a guarantee for 2017. Statesmen packed their caps, bats, and bags and Add to that, Mike Montgomery (now of the North- relocated to Strong City, KS, during the off-season boro Phoenix) threw the first no-hitter in States- While they found fool’s gold during the 2016 cam- men history on the road at the Midwest Mongrels’ paign in the city of The, the club is looking to pan home park. Thanks Mike, see you later. Infielder for a new gold fan base while strip-mining a roster Brandon Drury, a 2016 5th round pick, saw very of older stars to help build a solid and young com- limited action but popped 2 home runs in 20 AB’s petitive team for the future. A less-than-accustomed showing his talent for the future. Billy Hamilton 63-99 record proved that the club traded too much swiped 53 of 59 bases to lead a club that was very talent away which kept the fans away towards the proficient in the art of the steal. end of the frustrating season. The front office begged for fan patience while the After looking at the past season what are youngsters developed in the minors. those special ‘things’ moving forward Unfortunately, the writing on the wall that will help the team create a loyal fan was clear for everyone who had even base in Strong City? The team selected a slight interest in the team that owner Willson Contreras with the 4th pick of Sheffler, GM Fisk, and their team had the TBL draft. With Turner, Sanchez, and more plans of disassembling the cur- Story all off the board Contreras was the rent squad. They had no idea that the only logical pick for the club. club was going to tear apart the city by Vizcaino: Microscopic moving to Kansas. Add an All-Star 3rd baseman while giving up the All-Star 2B you just acquired in a previous The 2016 season produced many less-than- trade? Why not! The Statesmen got Jonathan Villar desired results. First, a pitching staff who hurled from the Knoxville club with ideas of creating more at a 4.90 ERA and 1.478 WHIP made many who runs through speed. Little did owner Sheffler know watched them throughout the season want to that Nolan Arenado was on new Riverwoolf owner do the same. The staff gave up a slash line of Daniel Dumont’s trade-away list. With the trade of .281/.342/.435 to opponent’s hitters. multiple draft picks the Statesmen now have Nolan to bat cleanup for them this next campaign. The boys-with-bats only posted a slash line of .242/.310/.386. Khris Davis whacked 20 Patience will be the key again through the 2017 doubles and 20 home runs but slashed only season. With the move to Strong City, it appears .202/.279/.386. He was far from the only under- the ownership and team have some time to prove achiever in the lot. that the trades of high-profile, but aging, players to acquire and develop youth is one the new fans There were a few victories. Fire ball throwing can live with for now. Who knows direction the reliever, and 2016 2nd round pick, Arodys Viz- fickle finger of fate will point - gold in them thar’ caino picked up 30 saves (48% of the club’s total hills of a future TBL Championship or fool’s gold wins) while registering a microscopic 0.59 ERA. in the gift shop at Stuckey’s along the highway.

80 The 2017 TBL Annual strong city STATESMEN

Eric Sheffler (14th year) “It’s an interesting team, composed of promise and placeholders. Injuries have hit this team especially hard. All told, it’s a team in transition.”

2016 was a tough season for The Statesmen, but they knew it was coming. And as soon as the season ended, the team got to work. The first step was moving to Strong City with a message: start winning. With the recent draft and a flurry of trades that included the seven-player blockbuster for SNT Arenado, Mr. SNT: Sheffler is reshuffling the deck. Nolan Arenado. Young players are laying the foundation for the next contender. Veterans were brought in to When you can add one of add leadership and a clubhouse presence. the bright young stars of So, while Nolan Arenado will speed the baseball by trade, you do rebuilding along, the next wave also includes a it. Arenado becomes a cornerstone player for handful of young talent — and all added by Mr. Sheffler. They’re not there yet, but they shouldn’t the Statesmen for the next decade. lose 99 games again. They may even push for a ROTATION. The Statesmen need only six arms in playoff spot. the rotation all year, and three of them are really Pitching: 7.5 good. For half the season, the Statesmen will be It could get ugly. able to play against anyone. Holdover Carlos Carrasco (Grade 12 C+25), newcomer Danny Salazar (Grade 12 C-36), and young Brandon This is definitely a pitching staff in transition. Finnegan (Grade 12 C-44 HR-22), who’s still in While it has improved since last year, it still has grade school, deliver a 1-2-3 punch for 81 starts. a way to go to become the team strength it once was. But several of the key pieces are in place. That’s all the good news. Gio Gonzalez (Grade 7) Traditional TBL wisdom says to build the rotation joined the team in the offseason. Aging vet Adam first, and that’s the approach Strong City is taking. Wainwright (Grade 5) will spend a lot of time — There’s no dominant ace, but there is the makings of a solid rotation. There’s a two-headed closer and Turnover Rate: 37% some solid set-up help, but the bullpen is far too Arrived: Nolan Arenado; Brett Cecil; Willson thin to be used aggres- Contreras; Zack Cozart; Carl Edwards; Gio Gonzalez; sively. That means Adam Lind; Joe Mauer; Danny Salazar; Kyle Schwarber; when the good start- Anthony Swarzak; Luke Weaver; Rickie Weeks. ers pitch, the team will be competitive, Departed: Luis Avilan; Hank Conger; Felix Doubront; but when the bottom Nathan Eovaldi; Ryan Goins; Mike Montgomery; Daniel Murphy; Darin Ruf; Ryan Vogelsong; Joey Votto; Matt of the rotation pitch- Wisler; Mike Wright. es, it could get ugly. Carrasco: Holdover

The 2017 TBL Annual 81 all of his 33 starts — asking himself Justin Upton (1-0-0-0, 9 hits, whether he should have retired after 3 walks). Rookie Willson the injury that caused him to miss Contreras (1-5-6, 10 hits, the 2016 season. And the youngest 3 walks+22) is missing of them all, Luke Weaver (Grade 1 the extra power number. HR-24), gets to learn on the job. But Brandon Drury (1-0-0-0, 10 not necessarily in a good way. hits, 2 walks) and David Peralta (4 0s, 10 hits, a BULLPEN. The two-headed closer walk+22, L-5) have power has the grades, but not the peripher- and hits, but don’t walk. Davis: Missing als. Rookie Carl Edwards (Grade 23* C-25) and Bruce Rondon (Grade 18*) There is power up and down this lineup. In addi- have 72 innings between them, cer- tion to the bashers listed above, there’s Zack tainly enough for a closer. The prob- Cozart (1-6-6, 9 hits, 3 walks), Adam Lind (1-5-6, lem will be getting to them. 9 hits, 2 walks, L-3), Matt Wieters (1-0-0, 9 hits, 2 walks+22, L-3), and Rickie Weeks (1-5-6, 8 hits, Zach Putnam (Grade 14* C-22 3 walks+42, L+8 R-7). That’s nine hitters with a HR+34), Tom Layne (Grade 13* C-32 first-column “1.” It’s safe to say they’ll hit a few HR+36), Danny Farquhar (Grade 13* out in the course of the season, but without effec- C-23 HR-33), Joe Smith (Grade 12*), tive table-setters, it often doesn’t add up. and Arodys Vizcaino (Grade 10* C-62 HR+33) offer up only 198 innings, Three other players stand out on the team for not near enough, given the bottom their exceptional — and on this team, unusual

strong strong city STATESMEN three starters. — skills. Josh Harrison (3 0s, 11 hits, a walk+22, 32 SSN for 23 attempts, L+3) has the only 11-hit Adding Brett Cecil (Grade 8* C+26), card on the team; Joe Mauer (3 0s, 9 hits, 5 walks, Brandon Maurer (Grade 8* C+22 with 3 31s, L-9) is an on-base machine; and Billy HR+21), and waiver wire acquisition Anthony Hamilton (2 0s, 9 hits, 3 walks, 34 SSN for 66 Swarzak (Grade 8* C+23 HR-62) don’t particularly attempts, L-7) is the club’s real speedster. help much, even with the extra 137 innings they Defense: 7.0 bring to the mound. And letting Luke Weaver Best in the league? loose in the bullpen may destroy team morale. Offense: 8.0 Yes, it’s that good. It doesn’t add up. Average on this team is a weakness. Both All talk about the offense on this team has to catchers have plus start with Nolan Arenado (1-1-4-6, 10 hits, 3 arms: Wieters (C8 walks, L-3). He has that combination of power, Th+2) and Contreras hits and walks that no one else on the team pos- (C7 Th+3). The infield Harrison: That good sesses. He was worth whatever the Statesmen has Arenado (3B5), paid to bring him onboard. Of course, comparing Cozart and Hechavarria (both SS9s), Harrison any hitter to Arenado is unfair. (2B9), and Mauer (1B4). Lind is a 1B3 when he has to play the field, which isn’t often. The out- Khris Davis (1-1-0-0, 9 hits, 3 walks+22) has awe- field has two OF3s in Upton (with a 35 arm) and some power, but is missing that extra hit, as is Hamilton (with a 34 arm). Davis is the weak

82 The 2017 TBL Annual spot: just an average fielder and thrower. Still, this defense could be the best in the league. the statesmen: Realignment Bench: 1.5 strong city STATESMENcity strong Less than needed.

Although they played as The Adam Lind and Joe Mauer form an uneasy pla- Statesmen a year ago, this team was toon at first; Rickie Weeks and Brandon Drury one of the few that actually remained share the DH spot. Whoever doesn’t start could in the same division after realignment. pinch-hit, pinch-run or come in for defense. Two years out, this is clearly Sheffler’s Speaking of which, there’s the defensive skills of team: they’re not the “revamped Adeniny Hechavarria (2 0s, 9 hits, 2 walks), who Portland Possum,” and we won’t talk has to start about 40 games. about them that way anymore – Votto is gone, Murphy (the secondbaseman, The best bats usually start the game, which is not the commissioner) is gone, and our code words for, “hey, no bench.” Trading for Nolan Arenado has arrived. Arenado – a move we wholeheartedly endorse – made it harder to create a broader base of talent. In any case, instead of Maracaibo and No question that will place the lineup in situa- Northboro in the Aaron, they face tions where a pinch-hitter or extra bench player newcomers Las Vegas and Melrose, will be helpful; they’ll take their lumps this year. along with Kansas (the state rivals, But that probably comes as no surprise to the who get to remain in the Aaron). veteran Mr. Sheffler. Strong City wouldn’t have been favored to win the division in the old The Statesmen are certainly an alignment, and they’re actually closer interesting team, composed of to the top in this alignment. The fact that they promise and placeholders. Injuries may challenge for a playoff spot is another big have hit this team especially hard, plus. and the Statesmen are carrying five uncarded players all year, which certainly hampers its We have to score that a win. flexibility. All told, it’s a team in transition. It’s difficult to say what it will look like when it’s all put together, especially since its 2018 draft is already compromised.

A new venue for a team on the rise! TQ: 24.0 Eric has done a great job revamping an aging Portland team into a promising young group. They’ll still take their lumps in 2017, but don’t ignore them either.

The 2017 TBL Annual 83 2016 kansas KOYOTES in review

Bridesmaids again. by Bill Schwartz

2016 in Review setup man Ken Giles’ 65 RIP of 0.96 ERA led re- Final Record: 95-67 (2nd, Aaron) lievers as he sought to justify the 2017 first round Picked by the Annual to head the Aaron Division draft choice that he cost. Grade 22 Joaquin Ben- and described as what “could be the best Kansas oit, purchased for a 2016 Bonus choice, saved 32 team ever”, the Koyotes did indeed enjoy a stel- games despite a somewhat high 3.43 ERA. lar season. However they fell short of the Aaron What went wrong? crown when, after being tied with Maracaibo at 85- 57 going into the final month, a 10-10 November For the third time in as many appearances in doomed their hopes as the Rumrunners went 16-4 the playoffs as a wildcard team in the 8 ½ year down the stretch to make the Koyotes Schwartz era, the Koyotes bowed bridesmaids again. out early, losing the wildcard series 4 What went right? games to 2. This time it was to Mel- rose after Hudson had ushered them out the previous two times. The two The 95 wins was indeed the high water teams each won 95 games, with Kan- mark for wins for a Kansas team and the sas receiving the home advantage by best for the franchise since the 107 win winning the season matchup.The Koy- 2004 World Series team which resided otes came close to setting a dubious then on the banks of Lake Mahopac. In all-time TBL record when, “paced” the process, Kansas outcored the op- by Justin Smoak’s 178 K, they whiffed position 777-656 – the +121 margin also an exorbitant 1474 times, a total that the best since the team’s relocation to Moustakas: Leader ranked #5 all-time in the TBL record Topeka. The team smashed 198 HR, the book of dubious “achievements”. most in 10 years. 3 Things Mike Moustakas led the regulars in most offen- 1. Injuries. After having 5 starters with 14+ sive categories (35 doubles, 28 HR’s, 94 RBI’s, grades in 2016, injuries hit Harvey, Keuchel and .478 SA) and Curtis Granderson scored 100 runs Gray in the ’16 MLB season. With Severino also despite hitting only .231, as his 96 free passes pro- being ineffective, the Koyotes were left with vided many opportunities. Part-timers supplied only 110 starts of grade 7+ pre-draft. plenty of support – Chris Colabello (101 g., .330 2. Strapped draft. Having no first round pick and BA, .507 SA, 14 HR, 78 RBI) and Franklin Gutier- needing 52 starts, 100+ innings of decent relief rez (60 g., .292 BA, .638 SA, 19 HR, 70 RBI thanks and a third catcher, Kansas found it impossible to his monster 1-1-5-5-6 card). to add any needed quality offensive firepower. 3. New division. The Aaron Division of MAR, NBO, The “Four Horsemen”, Grade 15 Dallas Keuchel KAN & STM is no more. Instead the renamed and Grade 14s Sonny Gray, Max Scherzer & Matt Strong City Statesmen and Koyotes are joined by Harvey all provided 200+ innings and each had Las Vegas and Melrose. It will be interesting to see double figure win totals, headed by Scherzer’s how the new rivalries will develop.We will miss 17-10, 3.17 ERA, 243 IP, 9 CG, 290 K. Grade 17 the battles with Walter and Steve/Bob.

84 The 2017 TBL Annual kansas KOYOTES

Bill Schwartz (10th year) Don’t just wait ‘til next year; don’t watch ‘til next year!

Last season, starting pitching dominated for this mediocre team, despite the bright spots and the team and kept them in games when the offense one remaining ace who hasn’t let him down. struggled to score. This season, the offense has But where once there was greatness, this year’s nearly caught up, but not for the reasons you’d pitching staff features a lot of placeholders to fill hope. As the rotation has mostly fallen back to out games and the roster. earth (with a thud heard ’round the league), the offense just looks better by comparison, even ROTATION. At though the hitters have lost ground too. least the Koyotes have one return- While two teams in the new Aaron Division ing ace in Max have taken a step forward (apparently Melrose Scherzer (Grade 15 didn’t get the memo), the 2017 Koyotes look like C+22). He’s got a K a wan shadow of the team that won 95 games strikeout letter, too. last year. With a few notable exceptions, the Scherzer: Returning ace He led the team players on this team more resemble the hunted, last year, but he’ll not the hunter; the sheep and not the koyote. bear a heavier load this year. He’s followed by SNT Pitching: 7.0 Steven Wright (Grade 12 HR+33), Dallas Keuchel Praying for recovery. (who slipped to a solid Grade 8), and a sock puppet in A.J. Griffin (Grade 8 C-22 HR-36). That’s 107 starts.

Last year, this steam rolled out 137 starts of Grade Righty Ivan Nova (Grade 7 C+35) and lefty 14 or better, and the pitching staff carried them Christian Friedrich (Grade 7 C-21 HR+22) take into the playoffs. This year, that number is down up all but seven of to 34 starts, and the pitching staff will likely carry the remaining starts, them into the playpen. The impressive names are although these aren’t still here, but a combination of injury and ineffec- exactly arms to build tiveness wreaked havoc on a once-great staff. around. The final few starts are spread between Mr. Schwartz is hoping, praying perhaps, that the arms recover. Without them, this is a very SNT: Steven Wright.

Turnover Rate: 20% This is new: a SNT he drafted Arrived: Gordon Beckham; Matt Bush; Christian a year ago! It’s what happens Friedrich; A.J. Griffin; Jeremy Hazelbaker; Bryan when the first four rounds of Holaday; Chasen Shreve. the draft yield a reliever and Departed: Domonic Brown; Pedro Ciriaco; Chris Gordon Beckham. Colabello; Luis Garcia; Brian Matusz; Jason Motte; Branden Pinder.

The 2017 TBL Annual 85 the no-longer-dynamic duo of Matt Dustin Pedroia (3 0s, 11 hits with a 7 on 55, 3 Harvey (Grade 3 C+22 HR+25) and walks, no shift). Sonny Gray (Grade 3). Still promising Luis Severino (Grade 4) is around Then comes the only other player on the ros- to translate the jokes into Spanish. ter with at least 10 hits (let that sink in for a moment): Mark Reynolds (1-6-6, 10 hits, 3 BULLPEN. You can make up for a walks+22, L-6). That makes Reynolds the third middling rotation with a great bull- best hitter on this club. Others do flash some pen. Las Vegas proved that last year. power: Franklin Gutierrez (1-5-5, 9 hits, 4 If only the Koyotes’ had one. The new walks+22, L+4, R-17), George Springer (1-0-0, 9 closer is rookie Matt Bush (Grade 16* hits, 4 walks+22, L+3, R-3), and Yasiel Puig (1-0- C+23 HR+35). The peripherals will 0, 9 hits, 2 walks+42), for instance. help, but he’ll need luck to get to 30 saves. At least he has an able set-up At least those three have nine hits. Other crew: former closer Joaquin Benoit hit-challenged power cards include: Curtis (Grade 16* C-46 HR+22), Zach Duke Granderson (1-4-5, 8 hits, 4 walks+22, L-6), (Grade 16* C-34 HR+53), and Neftali Justin Smoak (1-0-0, 8 hits, 4 walks, L-5), and Feliz (Grade 15* C-23 HR-32). rookie Jeremy Hazelbaker (1-0-0-0, 8 hits, 3 walks, L-10). Both catchers fit the mold too: kansas KOYOTES After those 224 innings, the rest of Miguel Montero (1-6, 8 hits, 4 walks+22, L-12) the pen is mix-and-match: a pair of and Yan Gomes (1-6-6, 6 hits, a walk+22, L+10, Grade 10*s in Ken Giles and Kevin R-6). It’s a platoon! Quackenbush; a pair of wild Grade 9*s in Joakim Soria (C-25) and lefty Chasen Shreve (C-24 The last few regulars are centerfielder Leonys HR-41); and a lone Grade 8* in Liam Hendriks Martin (3 0s, 9 hits, 3 walks, 31 SSN for 30 (C+35 HR+25). It’s a big number of relief innings attempts), third baseman (!) Jeff Francoeur (3 (514), and they’ll help every starter except poor 0s, 9 hits, 2 walks R-3), and Gordon Beckham (3 Mr. Scherzer. If used aggressively, they may steal 0s, 8 hits, 3 walks, 4 24s), who gets to play half some wins. the season. This offense reminds us of Mickey Offense: 6.0 Mantle: he’d go up there swinging for the fences Just like Mickey Mantle! every single time at bat. Unlike Mickey, these guys won’t connect as often. Defense: 5.0 Last year in the Annual we wrote, “The lineup has lots of power, but it comes at a price: base The team strength? hits.” There’s still some power here, but even fewer of those base hits. In fact, The 2017 Koyotes are strong up the middle the best cards on with two C8s (Gomes, Th+3, and Montero, the team arguably Th-4), Segura (SS9) and Pedroia (2B8) in belong to the table- the infield, and Martin (OF3) patrolling CF. setters: speedster Smoak (1B5) and Reynolds (1B4) nail down Jean Segura (4 0s, one side of the infield, while Francoeur 11 hits, 2 walks+42, (3B3) and Beckham (3B4) present a weak- 30 SSN for 43 ness on the other, although Mike Moustakas attempts, L-6) and Segura: Speedster (3B5) offers late-inning defense.

86 The 2017 TBL Annual Springer (OF3) and Puig (OF2, with a 38 cannon) are strong defensively, kansas: too. The other outfield- Realignment ers are all OF2s, so KOYOTES kansas there aren’t any weaknesses out there. Bryan Holaday (C7, Th+2) Perennial contender Maracaibo and may help occasionally. rapidly improving Northboro left All in all, this is a team the division for the coming season. strength. Puig: Cannon Instead, Kansas’ only holdover rival is the Strong City Statesmen, who will Bench: 3.0 be improved (but still not quite ready for a deep playoff run). Helpful, but limited. In place of the two departures, There are a few useful cards on the bench. Mike realignment has brought two 2016 Moustakas (1-1-6-6, 9 hits, 3 walks, 4 24s) has playoff teams: Melrose and Las limited use, but does two things very well: hit Vegas. These two teams are heading for power and play third base. Bryan Holaday in opposite directions, as Las Vegas (3 0s, 9 hits, 2 walks+22) actually has the most has loaded up again and Melrose has hits of any catcher on the roster, but usage limits unloaded to rebuild. his role. Kike Hernandez (1-6, 7 hits, 4 walks, R-5) is too much like everyone else on the team. Because of Melrose, this is a win for the Koyotes; they shouldn’t finish last, though it At least there’s some platoon flexibility, par- might be a close thing (as Melrose, even in its ticularly in the outfield, but it will require ‘Pat weakened condition, still brings some talent to Lineup’ to stay out of the way to make it effec- the table). tive. The real question facing Kansas is whether There’s just not a lot of bite in these this is a one-year phenomenon due to injuries Koyotes. On the one hand, you’ve and off years, or if there is a need for systemic got Scherzer, Wright, pray for rain, rebuild. We think it’s likely the former, but the pray for rain, and pray for rain. On early 2017 returns will be the best indicator. the other hand, you’ve got Segura and The Koyotes were really hit hard by the injury bug in MLB 2016 and it shows in Pedroia on first and third, their rotation for this season. Harvey, followed by a lot of outs Gray and Keuchel are all mere shadows of their former glory. Let’s hope it’s only or every once in a while, a one year setback for Mr. Schwartz. a three-run homer. Don’t just wait ‘til next year; don’t watch ‘til next year! TQ: 19.5 Moustakas: Limited 10 The 2017 TBL Annual 87 2016 melrose AVENGERS in review What went wrong: One dice roll. by Mark Freedman

2016 in Review tinez scored 111, and three others scored more than Final Record: 95-67 (2nd, Mantle) 90 and Ortiz was close with 86. The best season certainly went to JD Martinez who also had 48 Time. One of my favorite quotes comes from doubles and slugged .559. The pitching staff was stel- billionaire banker Warren Buffett. “Someone is lar posting a 2.95 ERA. Perennial Ace Jon Lester went sitting in the shade of a tree today because some- 19-11, 2.93. Tyson Ross was better (21-6, 2.73). A. J. Ra- body planted it long ago.” mos continued to rack up saves with 37 with an 0.60 ERA. Pedro Strop and Will Harris set him up nicely. Well, I planted my tree and watched it grow. We went to three Championship Series, winning two, What went wrong? and except for one pitch to Munich’s Anthony Rizzo we might have made a fourth. Since 2011 One dice roll. For the second year that highlights this group of players has posted 584 wins and 388 this section. A. J. Ramos giving up a three-run losses, including a 123-win season. homer with 2 out in the ninth in game seven at Munich ended our season. What does this all mean? Out my back Preparation can reduce the effects of luck window there is a great majestic oak, so but not eliminate it. old it appears on town maps from the 1780s. Every year it struggles to bloom. The offense was hit and miss. 263 home- Every winter another huge branch falls. runs but only 822 runs. The team fell 53 runs Some years it looks young and vibrant, short of expectations, and woefully under- with a green canopy full of jays and the performed on the road. Too many 5-4 wins occasional hawk. Other years it looks at home were 4-3 loses on the road. The .318 old, with twisted branches and falling team OBP is a testament to a combination of a bark. As I look at 2017 Melrose Avengers Martinez: Leader few too hit and walk numbers. I see that tree. Old, venerable, clinging 3 Things to life, sometime feeling young even as it enters latter stages of maturity. One day the old tree will need to be taken down, and when that happens a 1. Retool. Trim the tree and plant new seeds. new sapling will be planted in its place. “We know Youth arrived: Mondesi and Mazara from the what we are but know not what we may be.” draft, Conforto and Semien by trade. This youth should help replace the aging group of Avengers What went right? that have been the foundation of the team. 2. Rotation. Ross and Lynn are coming back from 95-67 meant another successful season, even injury. Can Cashner recover past glory? Will this be if we did finish 18 games behind Munich. We James Paxton’s break out year? Can Tyler Anderson led the league in runs again, with 822 on a become a solid #3 pitching in Colorado? .245/.318/.443 triple slash. The team improved 3. There’s a good core. A-gone is 35, Russell Martin 34, on last year’s homerun mark, clubbing 263. Three Alex Gordon 33, Todd Frazier 31. But Anthony Ren- Avengers hit 40, Todd Frazier, A-Gone, and JD don is poised to take over 3B and Austin Hedges is Martinez (48). David Ortiz chipped in 35. Offensive waiting in the wings to replace Martin. The question production was spread fairly evenly. 4 Avengers is which player will surprise and how well will the past the 100 RBI mark, JD Martinez with 119. Mar- older players perform? 2018 could be a bounce back year.

88 The 2017 TBL Annual melrose AVENGERS

Mark Freedman (24th year) It’s a definite fall from grace. Injuries and age have taken their toll, and trades did the rest of the damage. It’ll be a long season in Melrose.

The Avengers lost a seven-game World Series in SNT: Nomar Mazara. 2015, but they bounced right back. In 2016, they enjoyed another run, winning 95 games, only Back to a youth movement to lose a tough seven-game Conference Finals. for Mr. Freedman, and he With the loss, they failed to become the first team to appear in back-to-back World Series got a good, 21-year-old since — well, since they won consecutive cham- talent in this Nomar. Re- pionships in 2011–12. building requires building blocks; enter Mazara. All good runs must come to an end. Eventually. With massive holes and an aging infrastructure, Turnover Rate: 43% Mr. Freedman spent the winter both trading away present value and trading for future blue- Arrived: Tyler Anderson; Aaron Blair; Steven Brault; chippers. The result is, in the short term at least, Andrew Cashner; Louis Coleman; Michael Conforto; Eric a season to come that will turn winning smiles Fryer; Derek Holland; Nomar Mazara; Raul A. Mondesi; upside down. It may take a superhero to survive Paulo Orlando; Marcus Semien; Drew Smyly; Jake Thompson; Logan Verrett. the months ahead. Pitching: 4.5 Departed: Peter Bourjos; Ryan Braun; A.J. Burnett; Josh Time is Kryptonite. Edgin; Sam Freeman; Will Harris; Kevin Jepsen; Jon Lester; Matt Marksberry; Michael McKenry; David Murphy; Alexi Ogando; David Ortiz; Jimmy Rollins; Tom Wilhelmsen. Remember when the Avengers had an enviable pitching staff? They always seemed to include a ROTATION. The bad news is that the Avengers reliable ace (or two) and a deep, deep bullpen. In require eight pitchers to fill out their rotation. 2015, the team boasted three 20-game winners. The good news is that they don’t need Aaron Last year, they had one 20-game winner and a Blair to start. The best of the bunch is rookie 19-game winner. Time is Kryptonite, and time Tyler Anderson (Grade 9 C+25), followed by vet finally caught up with them. The only thing that Scott Kazmir (Grade 8). That’s 45 starts. Then may prevent a 20-game loser this year is some come a trio of Grade 7s: perennial prospect limited usage. James Paxton (C+34 HR+34), trade acquisition Drew Smyly (HR-23), and sock puppet Jake But they haven’t traded everyone. They still Thompson (C-45 HR-25). That brings the total have a closer, and they still have the pitcher who up to 105 games. saved 72 games over the past two seasons. While you can’t argue that this staff is anywhere near The final 57 starts belong to Derek Holland the quality they’re used to in Melrose, the team (Grade 6), Andrew Cashner (Grade 5 C-26) and has picked up some young pieces. Given some young Steven Brault (Grade 2 C-26). And there’s time, they could develop into the next wave of no one to rescue them in the fourth inning. Or the Avengers’ dominance. fifth, or the sixth. With two exceptions (Anderson and Paxton), this staff’s superpower is to will

The 2017 TBL Annual 89 pitched balls over the fence. It prob- The Avengers may be run by superheroes, ably doesn’t help that this rotation is but their players have felt the ravages of advancing age. Mark Freedman has composed dominantly of southpaws, dealt veterans and had a decent 2017 with 136 left-handed starts. draft, but he didn’t strip them down completely… yet. BULLPEN. Last year, this team boasted four relievers who could close SSN for 20 attempts and no shift) occasionally on another team. This year, they’re gets hold of one. Anthony Rendon (1-6-6, 9 hits, down to one: Pedro Strop (Grade 20* 4 walks+22, 26 SSN for 18 attempts) and Marcus HR+23, with a K strikeout letter). But Semien (1-5-6, 9 hits, 3 walks, 32 SSN for 12 he’s not the closer. That honor goes to attempts) help out, too. A. J. Ramos (Grade 15* C-51 HR+61), obviously because of his past success. Paulo Orlando (3 0s, 11 hits, a walk+22, 32 SSN Ramos is set up by Strop and Jason for 17 attempts, L+2 R-3) and Adrian Gonzalez (3 Grilli (Grade 15* C-61 HR-21). 0s, 10 hits, 3 walks, L-10) can at least hit for average. Logan Forsythe (1-4-6, 10 hits, 3 walks+22, no After those 170 innings, things fall shift) is solid, while SNT Mazara (1-0-0, 10 hits, 2 off. Logan Verrett (Grade 11* C-32 walks+22, L-9) still has to grow into his paws. HR-23) and Louis Coleman (Grade 9* C-35) can at least help out the bottom That leaves the isolated power of Russ Martin of the rotation. Drew Storen (Grade (1-6, 8 hits, 4 walks+42, no shift), Alex Gordon melrose melrose AVENGERS 5* C+25) and Aaron Blair (Grade 1 (1-0-0, 8 hits, 4 walks+22, no shift), and Trayce C-24 HR-26) may have to pitch way Thompson (1-5-6, 8 hits, 4 walks, no shift). There’s too much. All told, it’s just shy of 400 a lot of the same here, and it’s not all that pretty. innings, which isn’t nearly enough, The team does feature good OBP and decent so they’re looking to get seven innings out of power; the question is whether they’ll cooperate. every starter. Think about that. Defense: 5.0 Offense: 13.0 A highlight. A lot of the same. This is one area There’s one superhero still in town: J. D. where the team can Martinez (1-5-6-6, 11 hits, 4 walks+22). He has shine, assuming some to miss about a third of the season, but he’ll of these guys get bash when he’s in the lineup. The only other to play. The infield player with four power features Rendon numbers is young Michael (3B5), Iglesias (SS9), Conforto (1-0-0-0, 8 hits, 4 Gonzalez (1B5), and walks+22, L-20 and 8 13s), Martin (C9, but Th-4). Rendon: Shines but he obviously has some issues to sort out. Logan Forsythe (2B7) and Marcus Semien (SS8) are just average. The outfield has two OF3s in There’s more power, but Alex Gordon and Paulo Orlando. The rest are it comes without many OF2s, and only Gordon has an above-average hits. Todd Frazier (1-1-6, arm out there. Still, defense provides a highlight Conforto: Sorting out 8 hits, 2 walks+22, but 29 on a team looking for any positives.

90 The 2017 TBL Annual Bench: 2.0 Not much to recommend. melrose: Realignment

Besides Iglesias (3 0s, 9 hits, 2 walks+22) and AVENGERSmelrose the extra outfielders, there isn’t much to recommend here. Eric Fryer (2 0s, 9 hits, 4 walks) For many years, the Mantle Division forms an effective platoon with Martin. consisted of four very successful, very experienced clubs with four talented Raul Mondesi can pinch-run, but probably only and knowledgeable managers: Mark in November. There won’t be many moves to Freedman’s Melrose Avengers, Paul make in Melrose this season. Montague’s Munich Marauders, Clay Beard’s Hudson Generals, and Rich Meyer’s Elders of Zion. They all had their time in the sun: they have all We predict that they will finish in gone through rebuilds. One of the last place. No way around it: it’s a most profound effects of the great definite fall from grace. 2017 realignment is the breakup of this legendary concentration of talent Injuries and age have taken their toll, and trades and experience. did the rest of the damage. It’ll be a long season in Melrose, but it was likely the right moves at By moving from the Mantle to the the right time. They’d got the most out of their Aaron, Melrose gives up some of that core for many years now. Still, when Ironman traditional rivalry. Still, that being hits the dirt, the resounding thud is loud said, the move didn’t really affect the enough to shake the timbers. team’s plans very much at all.

Due to time and unfortunate circumstances, the Avengers were always going to rebuild, especially given their roster limitations. The Mantle was a very strong division, whereas the new Aaron isn’t as formidable, due to teams at the crossroads or in the same position as Melrose itself. It’s possible that the worse division competition and the presence of J.D. Martinez and Pedro Strop could lead to more wins than the Fryer, Mondesi: Future rebuild effort envisioned.

TQ: 18.0

The 2017 TBL Annual 91 2016 Mantle Division Maybe Too Final Standings Team W L Pct GB Close To Call Munich* 113 49 .698 –– Melrose† 95 67 .586 18 Hudson 83 79 .512 30 Years of Mantle Division competition made Zion 62 100 .383 51 this essay easier to write. The four senior horsemen of TBL – Clay, Richard, Monty * Defeated Whitman in the World Series. † Lost to Munich in the NC playoffs. and Mark Freedman – took turns charging toward the post-season or diving toward the rebuilding end of the draft pool. Some While there’s clearly a lot of daylight be- teams had short cycles, while others were tween the first two teams and the third, the terror of TBL for many seasons before newcomer Dave Jaskot leaning back for a rebuild. The Annual gets to deploy a much just followed the script. improved Detroit Stars in their new home in the Realignment has given Mantle. Rookies Healy us a new script, though. and Sanchez make a Two of the old gang decent lineup much have moved to other – stronger, and there’s perhaps greener – pas- some solid pitching to go with it. This isn’t tures. Of the two that the year, but it’ll be a more fun one. remain here, the result may be too close to call, but we’re giv- Bringing up the rear in ing it a shot anyway: Clay Beard’s Hudson the reconfigured divi- Generals have the numbers on their side, sion is the Columbus with an offense and a pitching staff that Jets, the winner of the should nose out defending champion “best fourth place team Paul Montague’s Munich Marauders. in TBL” award for 2017. Departed from Two things militate against this ranking. the Clemente Division, First, Hudson has consistently thwarted Vic Vaughn has some enviable talent on our best-laid prognostications; and sec- the roster, including newly-acquired first ond, Montague is as baseman and SNT Joey Votto. They are a good or better than few steps from contnetion, but like Detroit anyone in TBL in mak- should be a fun team to play. ing more from not quite as much. So these Maybe the story of the Mantle isn’t that two positions may much different after all – only a few of the wind up reversed. names have changed.

92 The 2017 TBL Annual D. J. LeMahieu, Hudson

1. Hudson 31.0 2. Munich 29.5 3. Detroit 24.0 4. Columbus 21.5

Mantle Division

The 2017 TBL Annual 93 2016 hudson GENERALS in review I couldn’t stop myself. by Clay Beard

2016 in Review numbers looked good, the Generals’ offense Final Record: 83-79 (3rd, Mantle) didn’t get things started until June, leading to a 6-14 April. and a record of 17-24 after The Generals were picked for third place May. in the Aaron, and they finished third as predicted. The team was prepared for a The back of the rotation just barely hung step forward that was unlikely to lead to in there: Taijuan Walker had a 4.83 ERA, the playoffs – and it didn’t. It was, in that Kevin Gausman 4.92, Tim Lincecum 4.69 in respect, a successful campaign. his swan song after years of good service to the club. In some ways, Hudson did exactly what the Annual said we did: make an incremen- tal step forward, getting ready for the season to come. 3 Things What went right? 1. A. J. Pollock. - Can this team con- A.J. Pollock had an MVP caliber tend with their best player on the year, leading the league in hits shelf for the year. (209) and runs (125) with 84 extra base hits and 38 steals. 2. A contender draft. I was sitting Hudson was second in the league Pollock: MVP on the fence. The key was Naquin with 209 home runs. Six play- being available who fit the roster like a ers on the team hit more than 20. Randall glove, even though there was some better Grichuk recorded a .913 OPS in 103 games. talent available. From there I couldn’t stop Migul Sano had a .885 OPS in 82 games. myself, Rich Hill, Hyun-Soo Kim, Greg Gar- cia all fit the bill. Hudson pinch-hitters slugged .500 with 8 HR over the course of the season, which was a solid reinforcement of our “25 guys” 3. Get a lead! One of, if not the best bullpens philosophy. in the league. 227 innings of 18+. And the rest of it ain’t bad. What went wrong?

You can lose a season in the first quarter. In April and May the team play. While the end

94 The 2017 TBL Annual hudson GENERALS

Clay Beard (33rd year); Hall of Famer This team has a lot going for it.

There are things in this world more difficult than Turnover Rate: 26% multivariate calculus, organic chemistry, and high-energy physics – at least for the staff of the Annual. The thing about which we are talking, in Arrived: Michael Feliz; Greg Garcia; Donnie Hart; this instance, is the thorny matter of predicting Aaron Hill; Rich Hill; Hyun Soo Kim; Dae-ho Lee; Tyler Naquin; Kirk Nieuwenhuis. the outcome of the Hudson Generals’ TBL season. Departed: Gerrit Cole; Jason Garcia; Dilson Herrera; To do so for 23 teams, however, simply would not Micah Johnson; Tim Lincecum; Josh Osich; Dalton do. Therefore, we go once more into the breach, Pompey; Alex Rodriguez; Will Venable. and it is our opinion that in a high energy and hotly contested race in the Mantle Division, Mr. SNT: Rich Hill. Beard’s club is going to nose out the 2016 champion Munich Marauders and win the division. It is This guy must be a highly- almost an invitation for them to go 80-82, but we consider it unlikely. This team has a lot going for placed cat, as he keeps it: offense, defense, pitching, and management. coming back to life. He uses 25 guys, and they will all get used. This 20-start Pitching: 13.0 stretch produced Very capable. one of the best grades in the set. The Generals will throw out a solid rotation Martinez come a full season of Kevin Gausman and a deep, capable bullpen this year. In some (Grade 10 C+21 HR-14), 44 starts of Joe Ross aspects it looks like a Munich pitching staff, (Grade 9 C+23 H+25) and Taijuan Walker (Grade which is a good way to go up against Munich. 9 C+21 HR-26), 27 starts of Matt Shoemaker (Grade 8 C+33 HR+16), and a handful by ROTATION. Let’s start with Hudson’s SNT, Marcus Stroman (Grade 7 C+16 HR+22). All in the ageless lefty Rich Hill (Grade 18 HR+51, all, there are no bad starts; they should get well 22 fatigue). He came out of nowhere to make into middle innings in most games. 20 superb starts last summer, striking out more batters than BULLPEN. And truly that’s all they need to do. innings pitched. He’s one of The top end of Hudson’s bullpen is very fine: the best grades in the set. In Cody Allen (Grade 21* K, C-31) is the best grade addition, there’s a full season out there, but the instructions designate Brad of Carlos Martinez (Grade 13 Brach (Grade 18* HR+25) as the primary closer. C-15 HR+31), who has come He’ll have a few innings’ help from rookie lefty into his own. Donnie Hart (Grade 18* HR+42) and some less reliable help from lefty Kevin Siegrist (Grade 18* Other than Hill, all of the start- C-26 HR-23). That’s more than 220 innings 18*+. ers are right-handed, and after Martinez: Arrived

The 2017 TBL Annual 95 There’s more. Luke Gregerson The rest of the lineup consists of a patch- (Grade 16* HR+25) and Mychal work, including rookie Hyun Soo Kim (10 Givens (Grade 15* C-44 HR+32) from hits, 4 walks, L-13, 3 0s); Lucas Duda (8 hits, the right side, and Marc Rzepczynski 3 walks+22, 1-5-6, L-10 R+2); and Ezequiel (Grade 13* C-34 HR+56) from the Carrara (9 hits, 3 walks+22, 2 0s, L+6 R-4). Greg left extend the bullpen by another Garcia (9 hits, 4 walks+2 22s, 2 0s) will get some 180 innings. That, along with rook- reps at third base. ie Michael Feliz (Grade 11*) and Marcus Stroman’s bulk innings, will This lineup delivers power and decent OBP, but get the team through most games. it doesn’t have a lot of speed. They have some problems against lefties, which will be partly This is a very capable, and very hard resolved by the 25 men on the roster. throwing, pitching staff. A number of Defense: 4.5 “K”s and not an “R” in sight. Some plusses, but largely average. Offense: 11.0 Power, not much speed. The Generals flash some pretty good gloves up the middle. D. J. LeMahieu turned in another The most surpising card that falls out 2B9; Wilson Ramos is a defensive standout (C8 of the Hudson envelope has to be Th+3); Randal Grichuk is an OF3 with a 31 arm. hudson GENERALS NL batting champion D. J. LeMahieu Grichuk, however, is the only OF3 on the ros- (12 hits, 4 walks, 3 31s, 3 0s). He has ter. When Ramos is transformed himself from primarily unavailable, though, a glove man to a potent, consistent Hudson does not hitter. He’s featured on our division suffer: Welington introduction, doing what he now does best: hit- Castillo is a C8 with ting a line drive somewhere. He has some help: a Th+3 as well. C. J. Cron is a nice Ramos: Defensive standout power source (10 Elsewhere, the team hits, 2 walks+22, L-6, is largely average. Greg Garcia is a 3B4, and 1-0-0-0); he has one Miguel Sano a 3B3; Didi Gregorius is an SS8; of the four 4-power C. J. Cron is a 1B3; Tyler Naquin and Ezequiel number cards: rookie Carrera are OF2s. Jed Lowrie is a 2B8, but he Tyler Naquin (11 hits, Cron: Power source won’t get into the lineup very often. Kim and 3 walks, 1-0-0-0) and Beltran are both OF1s and may have to play the veterans Carlos Beltran (11 hits, 2 walks, 1-0-0-0) field from time to time. and Randal Grichuk (9 hits, 1-5-5-6). Other than Grichuk, they have some problems against LHP. There are certainly defensive standouts in the There’s also the free-swinging Miguel Sano (8 lineup, but the team in the field is largely aver- hits, 4 walks, 1-0-0-0). age. This will not affect too many outcomes.

The power hitters have two good supporters at The Generals could be a potent foe in 2017. Good rotation, a deep ‘pen, good catcher and shortstop: Wilson Ramos (11 hits, hitting and power in the regular lineup. 2 walks, 1-5-6, L+5 R-3) and Didi Gregorius (10 Their defense is somewhat suspect, but certainly a wild card contender. hits, 1-6-6). Decent bats at these positions are not always easy to find.

96 The 2017 TBL Annual Bench: 2.0 Doesn’t help very much. hudson: Realignment hudson GENERALS hudson The lineup requires a certain amount of care and manipulation, leaving very few extra players. Along with Munich, the Hudson club Welington Castillo (9 hits, 3 walks+22, L+4 R-3, has remained in the Mantle after the C8 Th+3) is an offensive stepdown from Wilson massive realignment. Remarkably, the Ramos; Jed Lowrie (10 hits, 3 walks, 2 0s) has team has never played in any other a very bland card; and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (7 division – ever – since 1985. The same hits, 5 walks, 1-6-6) is a space filler. Overall, the is true of Munich. We here at the bench doesn’t help very much. Annual had no idea of that record, but now it’s public knowledge.

We think they’ll win the division, For a lot of that time, the Mantle has but the margin of victory will been a remarkable crucible of four probably be very narrow. Munich extremely competitive, successful is not as overpowering as last year and talented managers: Mr. Beard, but it still has plenty in the tank. Detroit has Mr. Montague, Mr. Freedman and made some progress, as has Columbus, but the Mr. Meyer. Two of those men and real contest is between the top two teams. their teams are gone, though that is a mixed bag of effect; Melrose has been Hudson still has some moves it can make – it a formidable opponent, but now is has two 2018 #1s (their own and Las Vegas’, in the process of rebuilding, and has both likely to be low: but a first rounder is a taken that effort off to the Aaron; Zion first rounder. In a tight race, it must be assumed has been ineffectual for the past few years and that Mr. Beard might shore up the team – a is now much improved, but they have left for power-hitting or high-average outfielder, the Williams. for example – in this struggle for the Mantle Division. There are serious rivals in the National In their place, Detroit and Columbus – our Conference as well: Las Vegas and Grand Michigan constituency – have joined the Mantle. Cayman, for example. Detroit is significantly better, and Columbus isn’t too bad; but this is a two-team race. In that The Vegas Line sees a wild card berth for the respect, the realignment has benefitted Hudson, Generals, which is almost certain if they don’t making their chances at a playoff berth much win the Mantle outright. Where they go past higher. Overall, we’d call this a win. that is up to them. (We really have no idea.)

TQ: 31.0

Sano: Hit or miss

The 2017 TBL Annual 97 2016 munich MARAUDERS in review

The Marauders exorcised some demons. by Paul Montague

2016 in Review miniscule 0.55 ERA and only 22 hits and 7 walks Final Record: 113-49 (1st, Mantle) in 65 IP, although Andrew Miller notched the The Marauders exorcised a few demons in 2016, most saves (29). During the playoffs, the staff making up for missed opportunities in 2009 and had a 3.14 ERA in 17 games – stellar considering 2015 by grabbing their third TBL title. They won the opposition. Remarkably, Greinke went only 113 games during the regular season, beat divi- 2-3 in the playoffs despite a 2.48 ERA. sion rival Melrose in the National Conference Semi-finals on a dramatic come-from-behind Meanwhile, the offense was not historic, but seventh-game walk-off home run, took the NC plenty good enough – and delivered heart- title by sweeping Maracaibo, and won a topsy- stopping comeback wins especially during the turvy World Series from IC champs playoffs. As expected, it was led Whitman. (My compliments to all by the big bats of Anthony Rizzo three of those teams for fine seasons (.323/.403/.593, 30 HR, 68(!) 2B, 104 and excellent managing during our R, 101 RBI), and Miguel Cabrera playoff series!) (.331/.413/.507). The team scored 742 runs in the regular season, and 78 in What went right? the playoffs. What went wrong? Pennant! That has to be the headline for “What Went Right?”, doesn’t it? Not Much. By definition, there can’t have Rizzo: Big bat been much “wrong” in such a season. Munich entered the season with one 3 Things of the best pitching staffs in the league. An already-good rotation was bolstered by the mid- 1. Not as deep. The pitching staff returns to merely ‘pret- season acquisition of Zack Greinke (20XZG), ty good’. Jake Arrieta (16XG) arrived via mega-trade, and the bullpen added Javier Lopez (27*H) but there will also be starts from a 7 and a 4, and there and Hector Rondon (18*XZG) to make a total are only two TBL-closer-grade relievers in the bullpen. of seven TBL-closer grades. The pitching depth The starting offense may actually be a tad stronger and quality led Munich to the title. Munich’s than in 2016, but the bench does not feature “defensive mound men rang up a 2.51 team ERA. Although subs” with cards as good as normal TBL starters. nobody won 20 games, four starters won at least 2. Not dominant, but contending. In the restructured 16. Even number five starter Edinson Volquez Mantle Division, the 2017 Marauders definitely was 17-8, 2.84. Greinke went 5-1, 2.51 in 8 starts will not dominate. But they should be in the mix after the mid-season trade. for a wild-card spot, if not the division title. 3. Hoping for positive regression. Meanwhile, looking The bullpen was truly spectacular. They pitched ahead, Munich hopes that some of the players who 398 innings with a 1.78 ERA, 26 wins and 48 took a step backward in real life in 2016 will “regress” saves (against only 12 bullpen losses). Brad toward better performance. One of the joys of playing Ziegler was the most remarkable reliever, with a in a ‘dynasty’ league is hope for the future!

98 The 2017 TBL Annual munich MARAUDERS

Paul Montague (34th year); Hall of Famer

If they can overcome Hudson they can win the pennant. The rest is speculation.

Six years ago the Melrose Avengers won back- flight starter. For half a season he has a very good to-back TBL championships, turning back Steve number two: Yu Darvish (Grade 13 HR+13). The Powell’s Dallas Eagles and then dispatching the real second starter is Jake DeGrom (Grade 11 C+23 Gotham City Batmen. It was the first time since HR+15); these two have 41 starts between them, so 1997-1998 that any team had done so. Even in the top end is a little short of half a season. a league where (as we noted a few years ago) the middle tends to disappear as teams fall The rest of the starts are significantly more pedes- back or lurch forward, it’s very hard to go all trian. Francisco Liriano (Grade 9 lefty, C-46 HR-15) the way in consecutive years: teams can be very and Zack Greinke (Grade 7 righty, C+24 HR-14), good for a long time (vide Whitman, Maracaibo, especially Greinke, are significantly reduced from Brobdingnag, Zion and others), winning pen- their 2016 editions. But that still leaves a full rota- nants or conference championships but not com- tion spot (34 starts) left over, to be filled by Ryan ing away with the big prize. Vogelsong (Grade 8 C-35) and, mostly, Edinson Volquez (Grade 4 C-22 HR+16). Those are hardly This is what’s in front of the Munich club that grades that one would expect of a contender. dominated TBL in 2016 and won a tough Series Fortunately, there are relievers to rescue everyone. against Whitman at the end of it: to get back to the playoffs, certainly, and then take this team – BULLPEN. The rescue is led by three (well, two personnel-wise very similar to last year’s, other and a half) closer grades and one and a half very than the obvious addition of Jake Arrieta, but helpful supporters. The top grade in the bullpen nowhere near as dominant – all the way back to Turnover Rate: 23% the World Series. In Paul Montague’s hands it could happen. Unlike last year, though, there are Arrived: Jake Arrieta; Luis Avilan; Andrew Bailey; more and stronger challengers getting in the way. Arquimedes Caminero; Zack Godley; Jon Jay; Tyler Pitching: 11.0 Thornburg; Ryan Vogelsong. Not last year’s, but still solid. Departed: Brett Cecil; Jason Frasor; Jaime Garcia; Brett Lawrie; Huston Street; Drew VerHagen; Stephen Vogt; Adam Warren. It is a characteristic of powerful Munich teams that there are good starters, usu- SNT: Jake Arrieta. ally with an ace, and a very deep bullpen with multiple closer grades. This year is During the Riverwoolf no exception, though the rotation past the first few is weaker than one would expect. disintegration, Munich had the opportunity to ROTATION. Not the surreal card from acquire an ace to lead their title last year, Jake Arrieta is still very much defense. Needless to say, they an ace (Grade 16 C-24 HR+25, 31 starts). jumped without hesitation. There are few teams that have such a top

The 2017 TBL Annual 99 belongs to lefty strikeout artist Andrew 4 walks+22, 1-0-0-0). Jose Miller (Grade 24* C+42). He has a Altuve has improved power, righty sidekick: Tyler Thornburg (Grade and might have an even bet- 22* C-23 HR-22). The third closer grade ter card than last year (12 hits, is another lefty with very few innings: 3 walks+22, 3 31s, 1-0-0-0, 29 Javier Lopez (Grade 18* C-62 HR+15) SBA for 44 SBA). Anthony The two helpers, both Grade 17*s, are Rizzo (10 hits, 4 walks+42, Luis Avilan (HR+62) and Trevor Cahill 1-5-5-6, L-6 R+1) has a very (C-45 HR+15). This is not quite the 2016 dangerous card. These three Cabrera: Big bat group, but it’s pretty solid. play every day.

There are bulk innings beyond this The infield behind them has decent bats. Martin quintet. Darren O’Day (Grade 14* Prado (11 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, L+14 R-5) will get C-16 HR-16), Hector Rondon (Grade lots of time at third, with utilityman Andres 12* C+36 HR-23), Brad Ziegler (Grade Blanco (9 hits, 2 walks+22+42, 4 0s, L-5) taking 12* C+15 HR+54), Arquimedes his place when the platoon split becomes oner- Caminero (Grade 9* C-46 HR+16), ous. At shortstop, Andrelton Simmons is just Zack Godley (Grade 9* C+21 HR-22) fine (10 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s, 35 SSN for 13 SBA). and Andrew Bailey (Grade 7* C-22 Behind the plate Yasmani Grandal (8 hits, 5 HR-16) provide more than 300 addi- walks, 1-1-6) has power and walks at least. tional innings, and will be particularly useful in helping out the lower- The outfield is adequate, but not as strong as munich MARAUDERS grade starters. during the championship year. Adam Eaton (10 hits, 3 walks+22, 3 0s, 29 SSN for 21 SBA), Jon Both the rotation and the Jay (10 hits, 2 walks+42, 3 0s) and Ben Zobrist bullpen have the interesting (9 hits, 5 walks, 1-6-6) are decent everyday play- characteristic that they include ers, but Jose Bautista (8 hits, 6 walks, 1-5-6, L-5), names that were on the roster while he gets on base, can’t run and lacks the last year and were much bet- devastating power of previous years. ter then. They’re still here, but not what they were. There is This is a good offense, with some flexibility no question that the pitching and options for the manager, and should not be staff is well above average and underestimated. good enough to keep the team Defense: 6.5 in contention. But the roster Very strong. Miller: Strikeout artist is a result of what they had in 2016, including in-season acquisitions. Similarly the team will largely take Munich is very strong on defense, particularly this roster through the season and into the playoffs. in the infield. Anthony Rizzo (1B5), Jose Altuve This is last year’s club in this year’s clothing. (2B8) and Andrelton Simmons (SS9) are Fielding

Offense: 9.5 2016 TBL Champion Munich is still enjoying the offseason, rubber chicken circuit, Should not be underestimated. but there is still plenty left in the tank for 2017. 100+wins, a Mantle Division crown and a deep playoff run seem all There are some big bats in the Munich line- but guaranteed. No pressure, Monty! up. They are led by Miguel Cabrera (11 hits,

100 The 2017 TBL Annual One, as is Yasmani Grandal (C8, with a Th-1); Martin Maldanado (C8, Th+3) can replace him. munich: Third base is adequate when manned by Martin Realignment Prado (3B4) but Andres Blanco MARAUDERS munich is a 3B3; like Ben As noted in the Hudson article, Zobrist, his best Munich has been in the Mantle since position is one he the dawn of time. They have won 100 will rarely occupy or more games 11 times; they have (he’s rated 1B4; won 10 divisional pennants, reached Zobrist is a 2B8). Altuve: Fielding One the playoffs 14 times, and won three of six World Series (including 2016, of In the outfield, Adam Eaton is the best of the course). regulars (OF3, 32 arm); Jose Bautista, Zobrist, and Jon Jay are all OF2s with decent arms. There are numerous years of poor There are replacements on the bench: Jason performance as well, including nine Heyward (OF3, 33 arm) and Carlos Gomez years of 100 losses. About fifteen years (OF3, 37 arm) will trot in when the team leads. ago they entered a Stygian period of Bench: 2.0 rebuild, with four straight 100-loss Not as much help as they’d like. seasons and last-place finishes, including a disastrous 37-125 campaign that looked like it might break the all-time There are some missing games and at-bats, loss record (34-128). The success of so the bench is lighter than desired. Martin recent years is in part due to those Maldonado is the backup catcher with a good years’ drafts. glove and arm but not much bat (7 hits, 4 walks+42, 1-6). Jason Heyward has a disap- Another Munich campaign in the Mantle is pointing card representing a disappointing sea- made easier by the absence of Melrose and son (8 hits, 3 walks, 28 SSN for 17 SBA, 3 0s). Zion, gone to other divisions, and the arrival The same can be said of Carlos Gomez (8 hits, of Detroit and Columbus. If anything, Munich 3 walks+42, 1-6-6, 30 SSN for 26 SBA). They’ll benefits from divisional and conference match- both see more action as pinch-runners and ups, and Mr. Montague might be the best in defensive replacements. game manager in TBL and will certainly take advantage of it. This club, not overpowering, We are throwing small darts at a large is unquestionably going to have to make sure target by complaining at Munich’s these matchups are successful for the Munich shortcomings. They’re better than boys. We think the pennant race will be exciting most teams in TBL, and there is no right up until the end. question that they’ll win 90-95 games at a minimum. Arrieta and the top of the bullpen will be used to their greatest extent; Rizzo, Cabrera, Altuve, and the other good bats will perform admirably. The 2016 team set a pretty high bar, though: this is not a 120-win or even a 110-win TQ: 29.5 team. If they can overcome Hudson they can win the pennant. The rest is speculation. 6 The 2017 TBL Annual 101 2016 detroit STARS in review No one would have questioned the fans staying home and by Dave Jaskot watching reruns of Let’s Make A Deal.

2016 in Review Final Record: 52-110 (4th, Ruth) What went wrong? Detroit was able to finish the season without their fans totally abandoning them as what Although 2016 was a miserable season, it was often happens in several cities throughout the foreseen, and nothing really went worse than ex- league. “We are not quitters” was a phrase heard pected in the Motor City. Age and youth contrib- throughout the clubhouse and it seemed to have uted equally to the season of rebuilding. resonated into the fan base although based on their 25-56 home record no one would have Statistically Detroit’s poor infield defense led to questioned the fans staying home and watching 127 errors and 103 unearned runs. The team also reruns of Let’s Make A Deal. hit into 88 double plays. The Stars also struck out 1,494 times compared 502 bases on balls. The What went right? Detroit starters combined for a 34-91 won-loss record for the year. Tyler Greene lost 20 Very little went very well in 2016 but in himself while winning only 2. The team a heavy rebuilding year, just being able batting average was a poor .220 and to field a team felt like an accomplish- tehir low OB% came in at a low .290. ment. The Stars finished with a weak 52-110 record, 12 games worse than the FUTURE KEYS. 2017 will be a better previous season. Only the Mongrels year for Detroit with an assembly line finished with a worse record in TBL. full of newly drafted players hoping Youngster and converted reliever An- to make a positive effect for 2017 and thony DeSclafani headlined the pitch- beyond. A better than .500 season is ing staff with 12 of the team’s 52 wins Cespedes: Team MVP not out of the question. while eating up almost 200 innings. Re- liever Blaine Boyer was second on the team with Newly acquired sluggers Gary Sanchez and Ryon 8 wins which says a lot about Detroit’s starting Healy will contribute their bats for less than half staff in 2016. Fernando Salas led the team in ERA a season each. They will join outfielders Yoenis with a 2.14 over 63 innings of relief with Boyer Cespedes and Will Myers and infielder Devon (2.54) next over his 63+ relief innings. Trevor Gott Travis to build upon in future seasons. led the staff with a mere 13 saves. Starting pitchers will be key in the future if any of The offense produced only 594 runs. Hitters did the young acquisitions will be able to put up good smack 161 HR led by rising star Yoenis Cespedes numbers to be effective beyond 2017. These in- with 35. Six other hit home runs in the double dig- clude Tanner Roark, Anthony DeScafani and new- its. The team finished with a .220/.290/.368 line. ly acquired Julio Urias and Ariel Miranda. Fielding Team MVP and batting average leader was Mr. better relief pitching will also be attempted. Cespedes at .290 and rookie Ketel Marte also put up a .290 average over his 56 games . Cespedes led the team in slugging at .576 and RBI with 90.

102 The 2017 TBL Annual detroit STARS Dave Jaskot (6th year) There are better seasons yet to come.

This is year six for the Detroit franchise. It has SNT: Ryon Healy. been an interesting ride: a year of dealing with what the Zen Master left him, two years of 90+ wins and contention, and two years of recover- The rookie third ing from 90+ wins and contention. baseman provides a very nice There was Not Much, then there was Go Get initial card, the first of many Some, and then there was This Isn’t Working, to come. With Gary Sanchez, and now there’s a younger and more talented it’s the beginning of a club. Devon Travis, Wil Myers, Ryon Healy, Gary new day in Detroit. Sanchez, Derek Law, Anthony DeSclafani, Julio Urias (can he buy beer in Massachusetts? I think not) – these are what solid teams are made of. Turnover Rate: 37%

We will wait and see where Mr. Jaskot takes this, Arrived: Dan Altavilla; Steve Cishek; Daniel Descalso; but there’s reason to be optimistic. The Annual Ryan Dull; Nick Franklin; Ryon Healy; Derek Law; Mikie Mahtook; Ariel Miranda; Ross Ohlendorf; Colby Rasmus; sees brighter days ahead. Gary Sanchez; Julio Urias. Pitching: 9.0 An admirable improvement. Departed: Austin Adams; Blaine Boyer; A.J. Ellis; Robbie Erlin; Anthony Gose; Trevor Gott; Chris Hatcher; T.J. House; Will Middlebrooks; Hector Olivera; Mike Pelfrey; Chris Taylor; Ryan Zimmerman. We were, shall we say, disparaging about the pitching staff in this space last year. That is no longer applicable; the Stars have brought in some talent that will keep them in games all year. It’s The grades after that are not stellar, but, again, not quite contending quality, but it is quite an solid: there are 20 starts of Anthony DeSclafani admirable improvement. (Grade 10 C+25), 23 of Miguel Gonzalez (Grade 9 C+21 HR+32), a full season of Chase Anderson ROTATION. The top starter (Grade 8 HR-25), and 15 starts of lefty prodigy is very solid: Tanner Roark Julio Urias (Grade 9 C-23 HR+36). The balance (Grade 14 HR+25) has 33 – a full season – must be filled by Chad Bettis good starts and certainly qual- (Grade 5 C+15), but better teams have had worse ify him as a staff ace. He was bottom starters. no doubt sought after during the offseason. He’s joined by BULLPEN. It should be noted that the Annual ten starts of fun from rookie offered some criticism a while back about the lefty Ariel Miranda (Grade 13 lack of interest in a relief staff. That appears to HR-34), who steals 8s but may have changed: Detroit has brought in a whole lot have trouble on windy days of bullpen, including a very good top end. They Roark: Solid in Detroit. will get lots of work this season.

The 2017 TBL Annual 103 The new closer in town Wil Myers is the best of the rest (9 came through an off-sea- hits, 5 walks+22, 1-5-6, 32 SSN for son trade: Steve Cishek 34 SBA); he’ll play every day. Nick (Grade 17*). He’ll have Franklin (10 hits, 2 walks+22, 1-6-6, a little help from Adam 33 SSN), Danny Valencia (10 hits, 3 Ottavino (Grade 17* walks+22, 1-0-0, L+4 R-3) and Dan- C+16). They have about iel Descalso (9 hits, 4 walks, 1-6-6) Cishek: New closer 90 innings between them. fit into various lineups. The setup crew is helpful: rookies Ryan Dull (Grade 17* C+36) and Some of the better cards miss significant time, so Derek Law (Grade 15* C+35 HR+41) there will be other part-timers filling in games and veteran Carlos Torres (Grade 15* and using up at-bats. Michael Taylor (9 hits, 2 HR+21) have more than 200 innings. walks, 1-0-0, L+3 R-4, 32 SSN for 17 SBA) and Michael Bourn (9 hits, 3 walks, L+6 R-3, 29 SSN The rest of the bullpen is a little less re- for 20 SBA) will occupy the outfield; Cliff Pen- liable, but will be put to use when the nington (8 hits, 3 walks, 2 0s, L-8 R+1 but no

detroit detroit STARS team is behind. Fernando Salas (Grade shift on the computer) is the alternative when 11* C+21 HR-22), the flammable Ross Travis does not play; Danny Espinosa (7 hits, 3 Ohlendorf (Grade 10* C-41 HR-34), J. walks+22+42, 1-5, 31 SSN for 11 SBA) provides C. Ramirez (Grade 8* C+22 HR-14) and the epito- an entire season of futility at shortstop; and Jose me of ‘mop’, Shane Greene (Grade 5* C-14 HR+45) Lobaton (8 hits, 4 walks, 3 0s) and Tyler Flowers will get lots of opportunities to pitch. (9 hits, 3 walks+42, 3 0s) have catching duties when Sanchez is unavailable. This is a good bullpen, though it lacks a lefty. It will, however, keep the team in most games, and get There are two approaches for a roster like this. One them through the games that they get blown out. is to make sure there’s always some threat in the Offense: 8.5 lineup, dispersing the part-timers over the course Powerful, sometimes. of the season where they’ll do the most good. The other choice is to rest the part timers, or keep them in the minors, when the opponent As in previous years, the best card is poor (or very good) and putting in the envelope belongs to Yoenis together a powerful lineup – some- Cespedes (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-1-6-6, times. It will be instructive to see L+9 R-4). He’ll be in the middle of as which choice Mr. Jaskot employs. many lineups as he can manage (132 Defense: 3.5 games). This year he has help, at least Not a key feature. part of the time. Rookie Ryon Healy has a great half season (12 hits, no shift, 1-5-5-6); rookie Gary Sanchez The Detroit defense has some high has a terrific third of a season (10 hits, points. Cespedes is outstanding 4 walks+22, 1-1-0-0-0). Devon Travis (OF3, 37 arm); Wil Myers is also is great, but misses about 60 games Cespedes: Best card Fielding One (1B5) though he’ll be (11 hits, 2 walks, 4 0s, L-10 R+1) – used primarily in the outfield, giv- he’ll sit against board lefties. Brandon Moss has ing first base over to Nick Franklin and Brandon what we usually call “isolated power” (8 hits, 3 Moss (1B3). Travis is a 2B7, Pennington a 2B8; walks+22, but 1-1-0-0). Espinosa and Descalso are both SS8s. Healy and

104 The 2017 TBL Annual Valencia are both 3B3s, with no help on the roster. detroit: Behind the plate, Gary Realignment Sanchez has some talent (C7 Th+4); Jose Lobaton (C8 Th+1) is a Fielding One Through six other identities, and for STARSdetroit catcher, but has very little the entire time of the franchise in usage; Tyler Flowers (C7 Detroit, this club has been in the Ruth Th-4) does not make up for Division. For many of those years, the his weak bat with capable team currently known as the Detroit defense, but will play a lot. Stars have been looking up at the in- termittent juggernaut of Brobdingnag; The outfield is capably Sanchez: Talent in years they were good, they were manned, with Michael Tay- dominant, an obstacle to contention; lor (OF3, 34 arm) and Colby Rasmus (OF3, 35 when they were bad, they snatched arm) providing Fielding One defense. Michael top draft positions, making it difficult Bourn (OF2, 32 arm) and Wil Myers (OF2, 33 for other franchises to acquire those arm) are certainly useful. key players. Now, at least, the first problem is ameliorated by this team Still, defense is not a key feature of Mr. Jaskot’s leaving the Ruth after 25 years and coming to team. They should be better next year, though. the Mantle. Bench: 3.0 Versatile. This isn’t all good news, however. Munich and Hudson are formidable, and Mr. Jaskot’s old friend Mr. Vaughn has come along and is mov- For a team ostensibly still rebuilding, the club ing toward respectability as well. In order to has a versatile bench. There are a number of compete in this division, they’ll have to match outfielders and infielders that can be mixed and wits with some very good managers. This isn’t matched. Everyone has something to do, with the year for contention, unless things break very greater or lesser facility. In addition to those badly for the top clubs, or Detroit makes a major listed above, the bench features a few extra move in the fall. But there are better seasons yet players: Colby Rasmus (OF3, but 7 hits, 4 walks, to come, and the realignment should be overall 1-5); Ketel Marte (SS7, 10 hits, 6-6, 27 SSN for 16 considered a win. SBA); and Mikie Mahtook (8 hits, 3 0s), who’s really here to drive the team bus.

The Stars’ 52-110 record from 2016 was, They are far better than last year, hopefully, the bottom of their fall and with pitching and power. What they that 2017 will be the 1st step upward. Will Myers turned into a nice surprise at lack is strong defense and more on- 1B. There is good young talent here that base percentage. Healy and Travis should only improve. have 12 and 11 hits for part of a season but there are no other cards with more than 10. This is a feature of a young team, so in a way it’s a good sign. What is true is that the cliff is now far away. At the Annual we are pleased to TQ: 24.0 report this fact. Mr. Jaskot has earned it. 9 The 2017 TBL Annual 105 2016 columbus JETS in review Rolling the dice when Columbus is at bat should be more by Vic Vaughn enjoyable in 2017.

2016 in Review of .235, and sub-.700 OPS reflected the offense’s Final Record: 64-98 (4th, Clemente) ineptitude. The pitching staff didn’t provide much help ending the season with a 4.29 ERA. The Jets’ faithful didn’t have much to cheer about in 2016 as the team finished last in the Clemente Division for the second straight year. We stum- 3 Things bled out of the starting gate finishing April with a 7-12 record and never got any traction the rest 1. Drafting Starting Pitching. We did not enter of the way. After eleven years in the Clemente, the 2017 draft intending to load up on starting the league realignment placed us in the Mantle pitching. However, as the draft unfolded that’s Division where we’ll try our luck in 2017. the way it turned out with Michael Fulmer, What went right? Sean Manaea, and Vincent Velasquez finding their way onto the Jets’ roster within the first 29 picks. They’ll join Tanaka, The lone bright spot was second Porcello, Leake, and Boyd as the baseman Jason Kipnis who led the nucleus of the Jets’ rotation for the International Conference with a .325 bat- foreseeable future. ting average. There weren’t any other offensive standouts: no one reached 20 2. Joey the Jet. We needed to add more home runs (Jay Bruce had 18) or 90 RBI offense (see “what went wrong”) so (the best Yangervis in the league led when Joey Votto (a personal favorite the team with a pedestrian 89). On the of Jets management) and a first round pitching side, the bullpen performed pick became available we jumped at acceptably and was led by Miguel the opportunity. The price was steep, Socolovich’s 19 saves and 1.57 ERA. Kipnis: Bright spot as we’ll miss the youth and potential of Messrs. Schwarber and Salazar, but What went wrong? rolling the dice when Columbus is at bat should be more enjoyable in 2017. A team that compiles a 64-98 season will have 3. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire. After ten its share of disappointing performances and years in the Clemente Division, we find our- that was the case here. Brett Anderson compiled selves in the Mantle Division battling it out a 6-19 record with a 5.16 ERA. Jason Castro with the defending TBL Champion Munich managed to hit a paltry .135 in 347 at bats and Marauders and formidable Hudson and Mike Napoli wasn’t far behind with a .169 aver- Detroit squads. Overall we think our offense age in 414 at bats. and starting pitching has improved, but the bullpen has regressed so the road won’t be any In fact, the team underachieved all season. easier this year. Based on our runs scored versus runs allowed we should have won 71 games instead of the 64 games we actually won. A team batting average

106 The 2017 TBL Annual columbus JETS

Vic Vaughn (11th year) This might be the best fourth-place team in TBL.

It is a tiresome and oft-repeated remark in these HR+21). This trio makes 90 pages that losing basically sucks. Sometimes a team very good starts between them. will unbuild for a purpose: to achieve high position in the subsequent draft, to get younger, to cash in on Added to this group are three older players’ cards while they still have value . . . as young draftees, all young: Sean a conscious effort, it makes sense. Success in TBL can Manaea (Grade 10 C+21) and be ephemeral, and in this scenario failure can be a Matt Boyd (Grade 8 HR-21) passing thing as well. from the left side and Vince Velasquez (Grade 9 HR-21) The problem comes when losing becomes endemic, from the right. That’s another Fulmer: New ace a fact of life, a part of the team psyche. There are sixty-plus starts from these teams that have not won in a long time, and there three. Aaron Nola (Grade 5) only has to go to the are teams whose success has been modest, and fleet- mound a handful of times. ing, and paid for in subsequent seasons: this is an accurate depiction of the Columbus Jets’ experience. This is a good rotation, and will help carry the team We are past comparing them to their predecessor deep into most games. and will not do so here, but they haven’t won a divi- BULLPEN. This part of the pitching staff leaves a sion championship since just after they moved to Columbus and have only reached the post-season Turnover Rate: 43% twice during all of the time in Columbus. It’s time that was over. We don’t think they’ll contend this Arrived: Tucker Barnhart; Michael Brantley; Chase year, but there is a real core on board that will make D’Arnaud; Michael Fulmer; Deolis Guerra; Brandon this a contender in the future. Kintzler; Aaron Loup; Sean Manaea; Dustin McGowan; Peter Moylan; Taylor Rogers; Ryan Rua; Bryan Shaw; Because, you know, losing sucks. Vince Velasquez; Joey Votto. Except for the Guru, no one builds their team’s pitch- Pitching: 8.5 Departed: Burke Badenhop; Chris Coghlan; Casey Fien; Rotation admirable; bullpen less so. Doug Fister; Carlos Frias; Charlie Furbush; Josh Hamilton; Mark Lowe; Daniel Nava; Williams Perez; Ryan Raburn; Sean Rodriguez; Danny Salazar; Kyle Schwarber; Michael ing staff first – unless that’s what happens to come Socolovich. in the draft. It arrived this year, a good one to acquire hurlers, and that makes this a much SNT: Joey Votto. more appealing part of the team than the 2016 edition. No matter where you are in ROTATION. The starting staff is led by a new your team’s development, young ace, just turned 24: Michael Fulmer acquiring a favorite (Grade 13 C+16 HR+22). He was a big prize player is always in the first round of the 2017 draft. He joins a good feeling. It’s even better Masahiro Tanaka (Grade 12 C+33 HR+15), when the guy is very talented. who for two years (it has been feared) would have his arm fall off, and the surprise AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello (Grade 12 C+41

The 2017 TBL Annual 107 little more to be desired. Closing duties Kiermaier (9 hits, 3 walks, 1-6-6, 34 SSN for 24 SBA) fall to Dustin McGowan (Grade 16* has two-thirds of a season; Adonis Garcia (10 hits, C-25 HR+14, 67 innings). It’s not quite 3 0s) will help out at third base; Mike Napoli does good enough and he’ll have to be used what he does and doesn’t do other stuff (8 hits, sparingly in save situations. His two 4 walks, 1-5-5); and Domingo Santana (9 hits, 4 close helpers are Bryan Shaw (Grade walks+22, 1-5-6, L+6 R-5) will be good against lefties 14* C-24) and David Robertson (Grade on the boards. Rookie Ryan Rua (9 hits, 3 walks+42, 13* C-42 HR+24); their 129 innings are 1-6, 35 SSN for 9 SBA) is a helpful spare part. also too few to protect leads in enough games. The solid starting staff will need The only real blank spot is behind the plate. Jason to go deep into games to preserve what Castro (7 hits, 4 walks, 1-4-6, L-11 R+2) and Tucker strong bullpen there is. Barnhart (9 hits, 3 walks, 3 0s, L-9 R+1) are not exactly a platoon, but do have enough games The middle relievers are a hodge-podge between them that they can be pinch-hit for. of grades and peripherals, mostly right handed. Peter Moylan (Grade 11* C-15 The lineup has some very dangerous parts, but there HR+26) and rookie Deolis Guerra will be some empty innings as well. Still, it’s a vast (Grade 10* C+43 HR+15) are the best improvement over last year.

columbus JETS grades; there are also Brandon Kintzler The Columbus club touches Fielding One in only (Grade 9* C+43 HR+25) and David Defense: 3.5 Hernandez (Grade 9* C-14 HR-15). Largely average. The lefty relief is confined to rookie Taylor Rogers (Grade 8* C+26 HR+16) and a few innings from Aaron Loup (Grade 6* C+15). That’s 300 innings three places: Jason Kipnis is a 2B8; Jason Castro is a altogether; Grade 4s Michael Leake and Daniel C8 (with a Th-1); and Kevin Kiermaier (OF3, 37 arm) Hudson will carry the mop when necessary. is a serious defender, one of the best outfielders in baseball. Additionally, Jay Bruce is an OF2 with a It’s not a terrible bullpen, but any chance for a suc- superior arm (36), a very helpful addition. cessful campaign probably requires a few more solid arms to support the capable starting rotation. The rest of the lineup is Fielding Two or less. In the The new sheriff in town is the Guy He Wanted: SNT infield, both Joey Votto and Mike Napoli are 1B3s, Offense: 7.5 Elvis Andrus remains an SS8, and Yangervis Solarte Some dangerous parts. a 3B4. Adonis Garcia is a 3B3, though the waivers have supplied Columbus with a defensive sub in Joey Voto (11 hits, 5 walks+22, 1-0-0-0, L-6 R+1, 34 Chase D’Arnaud (3B4). SSN for 9 SBA). He fits into a nice middle of the order, Tucker Barnhart is dead which also includes Jason Kipnis (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-0- average (C7 Th-0). 0-0, 32 SSN for 18 SBA), The Best Yangervis in Baseball (Solarte; 10 hits, 2 walks+22, The remaining out- 1-0-0-0), Elvis Andrus (11 hits, fielders, Ryan Rua and Kiermaier: Serious 3 walks, 3 0s, 29 SSN for 32 Domingo Santana, are SBA, L+4 R-3), and a mildly both OF2s with adequate arms. Overall, this is large- recovered Jay Bruce (9 hits, 2 ly average. walks, 1-1-4-6, L-7 R+1). That is a nice set of players to run out The Jets’ rotation is the envy of TBL! 114 starts of double grade starts. Too bad every day (or, in Solarte’s case, there’s no back end to the bullpen and two days out of three). the defense is subpar. They should still The next tier consists of improve on last year’s performance. five useful players. Kevin Solarte: Best Yangervis

108 The 2017 TBL Annual Bench: 2.0 Not enough here. columbus: Realignment The absence of some games in some places means

that most of the regulars and part-timers have JETS columbus already been described above. The only extra player The long time residence in the Clemente is Chase D’Arnaud (9 hits, 3 walks, 29 SSN for 12 Division, like Mr. Vaughn’s colleague’s SBA), rated in the infield (3B4 SS8 2B7) and will be residence in the Ruth, has been largely available for defense and to pinch-run. defined by the presence of one dominant opponent. For Columbus, that rival has There isn’t enough here to make much of an impact been the Whitman River Rats. That club on the team’s success. has largely owned the Clemente, and the Jets no longer need worry about them.

Being placed in the Clemente is not quite This might be the best fourth-place team a walk in the park, though. Munich is in TBL. It’s hard to predict a last posi- the defending champion; Hudson is tion for a team that puts Fulmer, Tanaka very good (and we at the Annual think and Porcello out there for half the sea- they will win a tough pennant race) and son; or for a team that has Joey Votto, Detroit doesn’t have enough, but actually Jason Kipnis, Jay Bruce and Kevin Kiermaier in the has quite a lot. There are no easy paths to everyday lineup. On the face of it, there is an emo- the playoffs – at least this year. In the short run that tional response that suggests that they should finish probably makes realignment a draw for Columbus. much higher than we indicate.

We don’t completely disagree; it is obvious that over the course of a season momentum, strong starting pitching, and the individual performances of star players can make more difference than our soulless metrics can describe. This happens in real life as well: how else to account for the numerous “under- talented” teams that made their way to the playoffs Players born after 1990 (7): Barnhart, Boyd, and World Series? If we played the game on paper, Fulmer, Manaea, Nola, D. Santana, Velasquez. we could all go to the bar and let Brobdingnag and Grand Cayman duke it out. Players born from 1987 to 1990 (16): An- drus, Bruce, J. Castro, D’Arnaud, D. Guer- That’s not how it works, of course, and we play the ra, D. Hudson, Kiermaier, Kipnis, Leake, games – all the games – for the chance to supplant Loup, Porcello, T. Rogers, Rua, B. Shaw, teams that might have better TQs than ours, better Solarte, Tanaka. pitching staffs, better lineups, deeper benches. But it doesn’t get rid of those disparities. Pragmatism must prevail; hope (and good dice) will occasionally, but not often, prevail in the face of those TQs, those staffs, those lineups, those benches.

Still, the natural variance over the season could yield a .500 record for this team in 2017. We think they’ll fall short – but in any case, it will be far better than the last few seasons, with better days ahead. TQ: 21.5

The 2017 TBL Annual 109 2016 Williams Division Final Standings

Dogfight, Team W L Pct GB Las Vegas* 99 63 .611 –– Taylorville 94 68 .580 5 Old School Knoxville 78 84 .481 21 Midwest 48 114 .296 51

We should probably just go ahead and * Lost to Maracaibo in the NC playoffs. blame Trader Jack for all this. After he went ahead and earned his nickname, he let loose the No-DH Old School Baseball Which brings us to Rich Controversy, leading to the creation of a Meyer’s Elders of Zion. primarily NL Rules Division, leading to It seems like forever realignment. Thus we have the Williams since the 2014 World Division, which has four teams none of Series: the two years of which were here last year. wins in the sixties was a tough pill. But that’s The top performer over. There’s lots of new talent, and it’s here is Mark Bloom’s only getting better. Could they make it to Grand Cayman Ha- the playoffs? Maybe, but this is the good vens, possibly the best conference. They shouldn’t be able to team in TBL this year. catch the Cayman boys, but there’ll be lots They’ve got the line- of good baseball nonetheless. up and the pitching and veteran management. The only thing Who doesn’t like a good left to do is to bring home the pennant. game of boom and bust? Certainly Jack Chapman If there was a team that had cause for seems fond of it. 2015 complaint at the whole realignment thing, was all about the unit might be the Northboro Phoenix. The likely rise and exciting Jordan and Stein team has put together victory of the Warren- their best club in years; and next thing you ton Giants in the TBL World Series. The know they’re in the Wil- following year – last year – was a slide, liams Division looking and this year is full-on bust. They have up at Boomer and down an ace, a closer, and . . . well . . . it’ll be a at the Sensei. Still, there really fine #1 and #2 pick in 2018. That’s should be a playoff spot where the new boom cycle might begin. waiting for them.

110 The 2017 TBL Annual Williams Division

1. Grand Cayman 37.0 2. Northboro 30.0 3. Zion 27.5 Brian Dozier, 4. Warrenton 16.5 Grand Cayman

The 2017 TBL Annual 111 2016 grand cayman HAVENS in review

2016 was a purposeful step sideways. by Mark Bloom

2016 in Review 3 Things Final Record: 74-88 (3rd, Mays) At the end of August, the Havens were 49-51, which may sound mediocre, but the team held 1. Waiting it out. 2016 was a purposeful step a 3-game lead as the second Wild Card in the sideways. With so many injuries and limited woefully inept International Conference. That usage, the goal was to get younger, fill holes prompted GM Boomer Wells to trade for Michael and wait for things to come together. Bartolo Bolsinger, Melky Cabrera, and C.J. Wilson. Even Colon was an elderly exception, but he filled though the price for these players was relatively many starts, allowing the team some flexibil- low, the gambit didn’t pay off, as the team went ity in the draft. In the final analysis, with the 25-37 the rest of the way, sinking to third place right deals and picks, the team might have had in the Mays Division and 12 games enough to complete. But there were enough out of the playoff picture. holes that we probably wouldn’t have gone very far in the playoffs What went right? even if we’d made it.

Edwin Encarnacion once again led 2. Pulling the trigger in the offseason. the team in homers (33) and walks During the recent offseason, GM (76), but 2016 was the coming-out Boomer Wells made a series of party for Kyle Seager, who hit .274 calculated moves, trading away with 25 dingers. Gregory Polanco many of the blue-chip youth stole 19 bases, and Wade Davis acquired recently for veterans who saved 32 games. Julio Teheran won were ready now. As the result, the team is older — on average about a team-high 11 games, striking out Seager: Coming out 191 in the process. 30 years old — but they’re poised to win now. The good news is that only the 2018 #1 has been traded, so there’ll be What went wrong? help next year.

The team hit only .240, so clutch hits were 3. Trading the ninth pick in the draft. There were missing in action. Many players underper- many possibilities for addressing the team’s formed. Neither catcher (Gattis or Avila) hit his problems for the coming season. One idea was weight, and the Gattis experiment at catcher to get a 2B to pair with suddenly LHP-smacking ended with 14 passed balls and 24 errors, Neil Walker. Another idea was to do away which led the team. In fact, the Havens once with the problem altogether. And so a deal was again led the league in errors with 167, despite struck with Knoxville for Brian Dozier and a 3B5 and an SS9. Danny Duffy. Problem solved. And it was only possible by including pick #9 in the draft.

112 The 2017 TBL Annual grand cayman HAVENS

Mark Bloom (27th year) Watch and see.

The time has come. It has been a while coming. The remaining starts belong to two less imposing The franchise down in Grand Cayman won 102 pitchers: Colin Rea (Grade games two years ago, and 109 games eight years 7 C-21) and Bud Norris ago; each of those outstanding seasons – which (Grade 6 C-23). A few Vance are surrounded, during years in Lewiston- Worley starts as a Grade 11 Auburn and years out in the Caribbean, with wraps up the rotation.These a lot of bad years and mediocre years that also are by no means bad, but went nowhere or, on occasion, partway into they don't quite match the the playoffs. Unlike the teams that have had #1 and #2. difficulty finding their way to success, this club Teheran: He’s #2 has had some – but not continual – success. BULLPEN. The new closer In some ways that's more frustrating. But this is Dan Otero (Grade 18* C+42 HR+54), who is year they may have built a team that has lasting everything you want a closer to be. He's not talent. This year's version is built on some very last year's Wade Davis; but neither is this year's fine players, and this year's team may only be Wade Davis (Grade 18* C-24 HR+62) – still, he's the first of a series of contenders. Watch and see. pretty awesome (0 HR in 43 innings). There's Pitching: 15.0 also the wild and wonderful Kyle Barraclough Obviously a fine pitching staff. (Grade 19* C-62 HR+62). Together, the three closer grades add up to 187 innings.

ROTATION. It begins with the ace. Jon Lester The next tier consists of yet more reliever (Grade 16 C+16 HR+13) is a full season of top- goodness. Hector Neris (Grade 16* C-13); rotation goodness. He joins last year's leader, Dan Jennings (Grade 15* C-43 HR+62); rookie Julio Teheran (Grade 13 C+26), and the hard- Mauricio Cabrera (Grade 15* C-44 HR+62); and throwing lefty Danny Duffy (Grade 11 C+23 veteran Sean Doolittle (Grade 13* C+35 HR-16) HR-14) and the resurgent Jeremy Hellickson provide almost 220 more innings; they have (Grade 10 C+23). That takes care of three some wild control ratings, but they steal a lot of quarters of the needed starts for the season. homers.

Turnover Rate: 34% SNT: Jon Lester. Arrived: Mauricio Cabrera; Brian Dozier; Danny Duffy; Jedd Gyorko; Jeremy Hellickson; Chris Hatcher; James The long-time ace of the Hoyt; Dan Jennings; Jon Lester; Cameron Maybin; Daniel Melrose Avengers joins Mengden; Jose Reyes. the Grand Cayman Havens Departed: Matt Adams; Mike Bolsinger; Bartolo Colon; to serve in the same role. Michael Conforto; Justin Grimm; Tommy Hunter; John Nice catch. Lamb; Marcus Semien; Tyler Skaggs; Drew Smyly; Neil Walker; C.J. Wilson.

The 2017 TBL Annual 113 There are more relievers 1-1-4-6, 34 SSN for 20 SBA); along to come, though they are with Lester, he was a big off-season not quite as reliable. Still, acquisition. Like everyone else, we we go through 400-plus are wondering where this came from, innings before we reach that but in the meanwhile it's a great piece point, which is amazing. of cardboard. That's not all: there's a Jumbo Diaz (Grade 14* third card with two 1s – Evan Gattis C-33 HR-26) returns to soak (9 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-1-0-0), and up innings, along with a two more regulars with four power few innings from rookie numbers including a 1 – Kyle Seager James Hoyt (Grade 13* Otero: New closer (10 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-0-0-0) and C-22 HR-41); neither will Gregory Polanco (9 hits, 3 walks, 1-0- pitch in high-leverage situations. The 0-0, 29 SSN for 23 SBA). And that's not even same is true of lefties Tony Cingriani the end of the offense: Melky Cabrera (11 hits, (Grade 12* C-62 HR+31), Antonio 3 walks, 4 0s) and Cameron Maybin (11 hits, 3 Bastardo (Grade 10* C-31 HR-21), walks+22, 6-0, 28 SSN for 21 SBA) get on base Keith Hessler (Grade 8* C-42 HR+25) ahead of the big power hitters. At shortstop, and Kyle Crockett (Grade 6* HR+62); Brandon Crawford (10 hits, and righties Vance Worley (Grade 11* 3 walks+22, L-4) even has a C-31), Jesse Chavez (Grade 7* C+25 caddy: part-time lefty killer HR-21) and Chris Hatcher (Grade Jose Reyes (10 hits, 3 walks, 6* C-25 HR-31). That's about 400 1-4-6, 31 SSN for 11 SBA). more innings, less Worley's starts; it's tiring just to mention them all. This This is a wonderful offense.

grand cayman HAVENS is enough bullpen for an extra team, It has power, speed, on-base, and there are teams in TBL who and no real weakness: there could really use some of these guys. are bats, and bats to use in place of other bats, at every Obviously this is a fine pitching staff, and Mr. position, and some of the Dozier: Where from? Bloom will have fun using it to shut down best regular cards in the set. opposing lineups with regularity. They should score a lot of runs and extend a lot Offense: 13.5 of innings – we expect big numbers from them. Wonderful. Defense: 6.0 Fielding One goodness. In previous years, we've begun by speaking of Let's start with the infield. Brian Dozier (2B9) the Big Man, Edwin was primarily brought in because of that Encarnacion (9 hits, 4 exciting card with two 1s, but he anchors a walks+22, 1-1-6-6), and really good infield. Brandon Crawford (SS9) will then drifting down from play shortstop, though Reyes (SS8) will start there. This year, he's not against some lefties; and Kyle Seager (3B5) is even the best power card the everyday guy at third. Edwin Encarnacion in the envelope. That (1B3) is only average at first base, and Evan honor belongs to Brian Gattis (C7) is Fielding Two behind the plate, but Encarnacion: Big Man Dozier (10 hits, 3 walks+22, he'll throw runners out (Th+5 – where did that

114 The 2017 TBL Annual come from? Perhaps it's better not to ask.) The outfield is pedestrian, all OF2s, though the arms grand cayman: are good (Cabrera 32, Maybin 33, Aoki 35) to Realignment excellent (Polanco 37). There are no OF3s on the grand cayman HAVENScayman grand roster, but that's a quibble. A long time ago, in and shortly after This is an excellent defensive team, and will the Don Mahley Era, this team was in benefit from lots of Fielding One goodness. the newly-formed Williams Division, Bench: 2.5 where it met with some regular- season success (but not much past Not previously mentioned. that). It then transferred to the Mays, and has been there during all of the The mixing and matching of starting lineups Boomer Era. will include some other folks not previously mentioned. Veteran mainstay Matt Holliday (9 The Mays now has one solid hits, 3 walks+42, 1-5-6) is still here; Jedd Gyorko contender, one of the five best teams (9 hits, 3 walks, 1-1-5) is available to pinch-hit in the league – New Westminster; and or DH; Nori Aoki (10 hits, 3 walks+42, 3 0s, L-9) two tough opponents in Maracaibo will get into some games in the outfield, Travis and Gotham City. Dr. Anton's team Jankowski (9 hits, 4 walks, 2 0s, 28 SSN for 42 and Mr. Bloom's team have been SBA) is an excellent pinch-hitter, and bearded rivals in the Mays for many years, but lady Alex Avila (7 hits, 7 walks, 1-6) is here now they'll only meet for one series because you have to carry two catchers. a year. Still, moving to the Williams means head-to-head matchups with There's no super-duper hitting toy, but it's two other capable teams: Northboro hardly needed. and Zion. Warrenton is not a challenge this year, but it's hard to There's certainly some competition keep a good Jack down. in the Williams, but this team may be the best in the league and Overall, the realignment process is a wash. The should win a lot of games. We Havens would have been good wherever they would be shocked if they did not were placed. win this pennant and go deep into the playoffs. The pitching staff, the lineup, the stellar infield, Whitey Bulger’s former henchman associate, and the solid management all point toward a Boomer Wells, has turned around this mori- successful season. bund franchise and made it into a playoff contender. Now someone needs to talk to Mr. Wells about his habit of shipping out traded The team reminds us here at the Annual of players in burlap sacks and car trunks! those dominant Zion and Munich teams of the distant and recent past – lots of versatility, a player for every situation, deep bullpens and solid defense. Those things are no guarantee, of course, particularly in the post-season; but you make your plans and try to plan for everything TQ: 37.0 and then roll the dice and hope for the best.

The 2017 TBL Annual 115 2016 northboro PHOENIX in review by Steve Stein We were lucky to finish above .500.

2016 in Review 3 Things Final Record: 82-80 (3rd, Aaron) 2017 was the target year. We decided to rebuild after the 2012 season, selling off Raffy Soriano, 1. Figure out what’s going on in the infield. Since Ortiz, Werth, Melky, and Kinsler, while guys Scott Rolen retired in 2013, third base has been like Halladay and Rolen retired. We suffered a wasteland. Frandsen was a bandage. Cody through 2 100+ loss seasons, then Asche flamed out. The current occu- 2 average seasons. Only 2 players pant, Jung Ho Kang, can’t get into remain from that 2012 squad. Was the country because of his drinking it worth it? Will the Phoenix we and driving problems. At second built have true staying power? Time base, we traded Kinsler to draft will tell. (Bob thinks we will win Jurickson Profar, who was promptly between 70 and 120 games in 2018. I injured for TWO YEARS. Profar think he’s right.) is falling far short of his expected level. We “solved” this by draft- What went right? ing lots of infielders the last couple of years (Diaz, Swanson, La Stella, We were lucky to finish above Dietrich, Spangenberg in addition to .500 – we gave up more runs than Profar). Who will step up? we scored. Jose Abreu performed Kluber: Strikeouts as well as his rookie 2015 season 2. Figure out what’s going on at catcher. with a lot lesser card. Joc Pederson hit 33 HR. Chris Iannetta is fading into uselessness. Mike Corey Kluber was 16-9 with 251 strikeouts. Alex Zunino had a good first year, a horrible second Wilson got 30 saves with a 0.74 WHIP – not bad year, and now a fantastic half-a-year. Will he for a 14. And that was it for the bright spots. finally thrive at the major league level? As in the infield, we drafted a couple more catchers this year (Herrmann and Recker). We hope to What went wrong? catch a break with one or more of those guys.

We just didn’t score enough runs. The bottom 3. Keep the pitching together. We lucked out with of the lineup – Hardy at SS and the catcher du Kluber and Garrett Richards, who were chosen in jour – was a black hole. Abreu was the only guy later rounds and blossomed into aces. (We’ll see to hit more than .255. Kole Calhoun hit .210. Joc if Richards’ elbow survives the non-TJ treatment Pederson, despite his 33 HRs, hit .190. We did he opted for.) Tyler Chatwood came back, so we establish a new TBL record for strikeouts (1,569) have 5 full-season starters this year, even without without any one player reaching 200 – 7 players Richards. In the bullpen, Addison Reed is living had more than 100 strikeouts. up to his potential and Alex Wilson is turning into a gem of a 7th round pick. Will Chris Devenski match his awesome 2016 performance? We’ll see.

116 The 2017 TBL Annual northboro PHOENIX

Bob Jordan (18th year) / Steve Stein (15th year) Go do it.

If you ask the Stein-Jordan partnership about Pitching: 13.0 their team’s prospects, and their realignment to Poised to shut down enemy lineups. the Williams, and the state of the roster, and the outcome of the draft, you may get a very Charles The Northboro club has been Dickens response: It is the best of times, it is the building a solid pitching staff worst of times. They are away from the fierce for a few years, but in 2017 it’s competition of the Aaron Division – and are now come together in a big way. in the fierce competition of the Williams. They The rotation consists of five don’t have enough pitching – their pitching is very competent starters, and a great. They can’t score runs – the offense has handful of starts from a lefty some great bats. And so on. swingman. The bullpen is deep with a great closer and a lot of The fact is, this is a very good team that has just guys with great peripherals. had a very good draft. Divisional alignment Kluber: First matters, of course: Northboro would have fared ROTATION. As noted, the starting staff has five better somewhere other than the Aaron last regulars that take up almost all season. Corey year, where Maracaibo turned in an unexpected Kluber (Grade 14 C+15 HR+21) is first, but not 101-win season. Adding the right players, either alone. Drew Pomeranz (Grade 14 C-21), Ian through trades or the draft, matters as well. And there are things that make you competitive: Dr. Greenwald has his “fifteen players” theory, the SNT: Dansby Swanson. Sensei will tell you that you only have direct control over a few things (like the bullpen and The young shortstop prospect is a build- the speed game) and you should make sure you ing block for tomorrow. He’s one of have options available. And yes, the dice matter. two shortstops taken by Northboro We are all at the mercy of how well or poorly we roll. in the draft; both he and Aledmys Diaz have bright futures. Ultimately, though, you throw your team out there and compete regardless of where it’s Turnover Rate: 28% placed and who you have to beat. If your guys are good and your instructions are good and you Arrived: Alexi Amarista; Gregor Blanco; Chris Devenski; handle the roster well as GM and field manager, Aledmys Diaz; Teoscar Hernandez; Chris Herrmann; Mike the team succeeds. Based on this roster, it seems Montgomery; Anthony Recker; Sammy Solis; Dansby like it’s time for the team to succeed. Can they Swanson. beat Grand Cayman, or Las Vegas, or Hudson, or Munich? Check back in several months. But Departed: Jose Abreu; Cody Asche; Aaron Barrett; there is no reason they can’t compete. These are Corey Dickerson; Josh Fields; Phil Gosselin; Kevin Plawecki; Chasen Shreve; Darnell Sweeney. the best of times. Go do it.

The 2017 TBL Annual 117 Kennedy (Grade 12 C-12 HR-21), With a good starting rotation and an excellent Jake Odorizzi (Grade 11 C+15 HR-14) bullpen, Northboro is poised to shut down and Tyler Chatwood (Grade 11 C-33 enemy lineups – even the best ones. HR+22) follow, covering 155 starts. Offense: 10.0 All are righthanded other than Drew Walk, walk, homer! Pomeranz, and all other than Kluber have relatively low fatigue numbers. With a deep bullpen that shouldn’t There are some interest- be a problem. The remaining 7 ing cards in the Northboro are exactly covered by lefty Mike envelope, with a fair Montgomery (Grade 14 C-21 HR+31, amount of power. The best 21 fatigue). This is a great crew to power card belongs to send out every day, and they will full time DH Chris Carter give good service. (8 hits, 4 walks+22, 1-1- 0-0, 10 13s) can drive the BULLPEN. ball, but is very much hit Carter: Hit or miss The relief staff or miss. Jung-Ho Kang is even better. makes better contact and has good power too They are led by (9 hits, 3 walks+42, 1-1-6-6); Joc Peterson is just rookie closer as prone to the strikeout as Carter, but he can Chris Devenski give the ball a ride (8 hits, 5 walks, 1-5-5-6, L-16

northboro PHOENIX (Grade 20* C+31 R+2). Aledmys Diaz has very good power as HR+51, 84 IP), well (11 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-0-0-0) for about 100 who may be games. here for many Devenski: Rookie closer years to come. On a somewhat lower level, Mike Zunino had He has lots of help: Montgomery appears here a bit of a power surge (7 hits, 4 walks+42, 1-1- for 64 innings as a Grade 17*, along with the 0-0) but his card is a bearded lady. Teoscar slightly wilder Sammy Solis (C-44 HR+55). Hernandez (8 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0-0), who will That adds up to 105 lefty semi-closer innings. get some outfield time, has power but little else; Addison Reed has fulfilled expectations and and Brandon Belt (9 hits, 6 walks+22, 4 0s), J. will be a great setup man (Grade 16* C+44 J. Hardy (10 hits, 2 walks, 4 0s) and Tommy HR+41), along with a handful of appearances LaStella (9 hits, 4 walks+22, 4 0s) all have some- from Tommy Kahnle (Grade 16* C-62 HR+35). thing going on at dice roll 22.

The final tier of the bullpen is also useful. Adam The remaining regulars and semi-regulars Liberatore (Grade 13* lefty HR+44), Alex Wilson aren’t quite as potent. Kole Calhoun (10 hits, 4 (Grade 12* C+24 HR+35), Erasmo Ramirez walks+22, 3 0s) is steady; and Derek Dietrich (Grade 10* C+23 HR-14) and Corey Knebel (9 hits, 3 walks+2 42s, 3 0s, L-13 R+1) and Seth (Grade 8* C-23 HR+24) give Northboro 240 Smith (9 hits, 4 walks+42, L-11) get on base additional innings. at least against righties. Catching, other than This here is another team that’s on the Zunino, falls into the lap of Chris Iannetta (7 upswing. One of the best rotations in TBL hits, 4 walks, 3 0s, L+5 R-5) and Chris Hermann is supported by a versatile bullpen. Their offense is good enough to contend in the (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-4-4), with occasional appear- new look Williams, or for a wild card spot. ances by Anthony Recker (9 hits, 5 walks+42, 0-6-6, L+3 R-3).

118 The 2017 TBL Annual There is some weakness at the bottom end of And we may be looking at the lineup, but there are a lot of power hits and a great pennant race, even a lot of walks. The one thing that is really miss- given the disparity in TQ ing is speed: there just aren’t very many steal between first and second attempts (Joc Peterson has 8, which is the most place. Northboro, particu- PHOENIX northboro among regulars). They’ll be channeling the larly on the mound, is very competi- Anton mantra of “walk, walk, homer!” tive; they have power and walks, and Defense: 3.5 even if they can’t run they should Not as strong as desirable. not be disregarded. This should be a playoff team, and that should be their focus. Not so much. Brandon Belt (1B5) and J. J. Hardy (SS9) continue their Fielding One excellence, and Joc Peterson turned in an OF3 (32 arm) as did Kole Calhoun (31 arm). Belt and the two outfield- northboro: ers will get a chance to flash their gloves – but Realignment Hardy will ride the bench while rookies Aledmys Diaz and Dansby Swanson (both SS7s) get to practice fielding ground balls. Derek Dietrich is a 2B7 as are all of the other 2B7s other than Amarista As noted, Northboro management (2B8); the catchers are all C7s other than Zunino is less than pleased at being placed (C8); Herrmann has a Th+3, but none of the others in a division with what may be the is positive. LaStella and Kang both ring up 3B3s. best team in TBL. After 25 years in The rest of the outfielders are OF2s other than the Aaron, it’s a bit of a shock to get waiver pick Blanco (OF3). This defense is not as moved over. The Williams is a whole strong as desirable for a contender. new ballgame in a way, since there’s the whole Bench: 3.0 non-DH thing, as well as a resurgent Zion club. Helpful. Our advice: play your own game. It’s probably a wash, given the relocation of Las Vegas to While he’ll start sometimes, there isn’t a lot of the Aaron. No matter where a team goes in Dansby Swanson (11 hits, 2 walks, 3 0s, L+4 TBL, it will face opposition. It might have R-2). There is a great deal of Phil Gosselin (10 been New Westminster, or Brobdingnag, or hits, 2 walks, 3 0s, 2B7 3B4 1B3) and he will help Las Vegas, or Munich, or Hudson, or Calusa. on defense and as a pinch-hitter. Alexi Amarista There are good teams everywhere just as there (9 hits, 2 walks, 31 SSN for 11 SBA to lead the are rebuilders everywhere. team; he’s a 2B8 3B4 as well) is here to run and field, as is Gregor Blanco (8 hits, 4 walks, 2 0s, We think it doesn’t matter. Northboro is good. OF3). Jurickson Profar (8 hits, 4 walks+22, 2 0s, As we said at the beginning: Go do it. L-12 R+2) is the continuing prospect, but there isn’t much for him to do. Still, between these spare guys and the versatile starters, this is a helpful bench. TQ: 30.0 10 The 2017 TBL Annual 119 2016 ELDERS of zion in review You can’t keep a good Sensei down for long.

2016 in Review with 40 doubles. Clint Robinson, playing far too Final Record: 62-100 (4th, Mantle) often, hit .287 with 11 homers. There are those who are willing to undergo the What went wrong? pain of deep rebuilding in order to construct a team to contend. The history of TBL is littered with teams that sell off all the assets, perform Everything else. Rubby de la Rosa got a chance poorly enough to draft high, then concentrate to pitch regularly and went 8-20, 6.48. Jimmy everything for a playoff run . . . and then do it Nelson, the “ace”, put up 8-18, 5.34. The team again. There is a certain thrill to that approach, gave up 846 runs (but only 742 earned, due to though it requires a complete lack of loyalty 119 errors.) Overall the staff recorded a 4.68 to particular players and an affection for card- team ERA, while the lineup scored only 676 board that is best not interpreted runs and hit only 119 homers. Chin- euphemistically. Soo Choo was the poster boy for the offense: .225-6-36, with 155 strike- That is not the style of the Sensei. outs. It was a brutal year. He always built for the long term 3 Things and enjoyed the search for players that would be continually productive. Drafting – the key means of 1. The old season ends when the cards building a team – involves placing get put away. There is no sense worrying about 2016: once the last game your bets on hoped-for success. If Jansen: Bright spot you make enough good bets you was done and the last stat sheets sent get Zion 1988-2003: 12 100-win seasons includ- out, there is no need to dwell on the campaign. ing eight in a row, seven World Series with four wins. If you make enough bad bets you get the 2. There is no such thing as impostor syndrome. last two years: 64 and 62 wins. And there’s no replacement for knowledge and research. Picks and trades made in more success- What went right? ful eras show that the Sensei still has mojo, and the evaluation methods used before still work. In this 62-win campaign, very little went right for the Elders. It took some work to decide who 3. Success means building around key players. Like would be pictured; Kenley Jansen (20 saves, 1.94 Beltre or Larkin in the past, selecting a few ERA, 25 hits and 50 Ks in 42 innings) fit the bill. key players and holding on to them is the best The bullpen was actually pretty good; Blanton, way to get back to regular success. Jansen and Watson, Jennings and Herrera all pitched well, as Blackmon and Seager are obvious standouts; did Uehara before departing in a September trade. this year’s draft brought Benintendi and Bundy. There will be more. You can’t keep a good On the lineup side, Nick Hundley hit .312-12- Sensei down for long. 54 in half a season. Charlie Blackmon hit .266

120 The 2017 TBL Annual ELDERS of zion

Rich Meyer (33rd year); Hall of Famer They may not contend for a playoff spot this year, but the talent could develop quickly. Mr. Meyer has this team headed in the right direction once again.

And thus begins the rebuilding effort. For the first ROTATION. The team has no ace and has to rely time in league history, the Elders of Zion lost 100 on too many bottom-end starts. That nine starters games, barely. That in itself is an impressive feat. The take the hill (including the departed Sanchez) shows next impressive feat will be leading the team back a team in transition. But three young starts have X from the breach to competitiveness. No one doubts the strikeout letters, and an ace may emerge from the Sensei will do it; the question is how long it may take. group. Rubby de la Rosa (Grade 11), Trevor Bauer (Grade 10 HR+22), lefty Steven Matz (Grade 10 Mr. Meyer has already begun assembling the pieces C+26), Dylan Bundy (Grade 10), and placeholder of the next dynasty. Last year’s SNT Corey Seager Paul Clemens (Grade 10 C-31 HR-31) give Zion 88 looks like he’ll live up to the incredible hype, and double-digit starts. That’s not bad. this year’s SNT — the reward for a 100-loss season in 2016 — seems like a slam-dunk star. But there is still Rookie Jon Gray (Grade 9) and Jimmy Nelson work to do. (Grade 8 C-35) take care of 61 more starts, for better or worse. That leaves waiver wire claim Jorge de There are still many, many aging faces on this team. la Rosa (Grade 4 C-31 HR-21) to fill in the rest. The The Sensei will also have to answer a looming ques- good news is that the Elders now own the whole set tion of who’ll be the starting catcher of the future, of da la Rosas. The bad news is that the elder one has now that he passed on the chance to take Willson to pitch at all. Contreras in the draft. And eventually, he’ll also have to turn his attention to the pitching staff, which still Turnover Rate: 31% lacks an ace. Arrived: Andrew Benintendi; Dylan Bundy; Paul Pitching: 10.5 Clemens; Jorge de la Rosa; Jon Gray; Mitch Haniger; Potential to improve. Jhan Marinez; Bruce Maxwell; T.J. Rivera; A.J. Schugel; Ronald Torreyes

Departed: Carlos Contreras; Aaron Hill; Dan Jennings; The 2017 waiver wire finally ended the Anibel Mat Latos; Dixon Machado; Clint Robinson; Hyun-Jin Ryu; Sanchez/Mat Latos era. They seemed like good ideas Anibal Sanchez; Grady Sizemore; Aaron Thompson. at the time, and they both showed flashes of brilliance. But it didn’t last. This season, with several exceptions, the arms on this staff are all young. Most have the SNT: Andrew Benintendi. potential to improve. Will one starter step forward to become the next Tom Glavine? Or will the Sensei look Mr. Meyer actually elsewhere to trade for the next Greg Maddux? traded down in the At least this team shares a heritage with those glorious TBL draft to pluck Zion teams of the years past: a solid bullpen led by this Fred Lynn clone a superb closer. If this team has any hope of compet- in the first round. No ing in the current season, the bullpen will carry most of that burden. It may be that the Sensei will be con- one will be surprised tent with bettering the team’s record in the near term by an MVP season in while compiling the pitching staff that will lead the his near future. next championship Elders team.

The 2017 TBL Annual 121 BULLPEN. Like years past, about 100 games. Nick Hundley (9 hits, 3 the bullpen starts and ends walks, 1-0-0-0, L+7 R-5) offers some more with the stopper Kenley Jansen power, while Yunel Escobar (11 hits, 3 (Grade 24* C+41 HR+34, walks+22, 3 0s, L+4 R-3) offers more hit- with all the strikeout letters: ting. KXY), who offers 69 innings. “Awesome” doesn’t do him The rest of the lineup is less impressive. justice. He’s set up by the age- John Jaso (9 hits, 4 walks+22, L-13) and less wonder Joe Blanton (Grade Brandon Guyer (3 0s, 9 hits, 2 walks+2 17* HR+22) and Kelvin Herrera 42s+22, L+8 R-8) would make a great (Grade 14* C+34 HR+26). They platoon if they played the same position. add 152 strong innings. When Part-timers Ronald Torreyes (3 0s, 10 hits, the Elders lead late in the Jansen: All the letters 2 walks+22, L-7 R+2) and Matt Szczur (3 game, they’ll be tough to beat. 0s, 10 hits, 2 walks) are useful. Scooter Gennett (3 0s, 9 hits, 3 walks, no shift) has fallen to dead average. The middle innings belong to the only Roberto Perez (2 0s, 6 hits, 5 walks, L+2 R-3) gets lefty in the pen, Tony Watson (Grade some playing time, too. 15*), and righty Michael Lorenzen

ELDERS of zion (Grade 14*). There’s also rookies A.J. The hitting highlights can sometimes run seven Schugel (Grade 12* C+21 HR+26) and deep in the Elders’ lineup. Even the guys who don’t Jhan Marinez (Grade 10* HR+35). They add 232 hit can at least hope for a base on balls. If the table- innings. The mops are Randall Delgado (Grade 8* setters get on base, there’ll be ample opportunity for C-31) and Bundy (Grade 8*). The pen has the grades the power to shine, and the starting pitching may and the innings to rescue the starters, which may be need all the support it can get. Offense, like the bull- a common refrain. pen, is a team strength. Offense: 11.0 Defense: 3.0 A team strength. They’ll make the easy plays.

For the first time in recent memory, the hitting review doesn’t start with the Elder Statesman — not The highlight reel begins with Adrian Beltre (3B5). because he’s slipped, but because others have caught Roberto Perez (C8 Th+6) does this defense thing up. Charlie Blackmon (12 hits, 2 walks+22, 1-4-5-6, very, very well. And … that’s it. Corey Seager (SS8), D26 for 26 attempts, L-5) turned in a stellar season. John Jaso (1B3), the second basemen (both 2B7s), Last year’s SNT Corey Seager (11 hits, 3 walks+22, and most of the outfield are all average, which 1-0-0-0, L-8 R+2) blossomed, too. Elder-for-forever means they’ll make all the easy plays and occasion- Adrian Beltre (11 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-0-0-0, L+5, R-3) ally a difficult flash of leather. put up another solid card. They’ll play most days. Andrew Benintendi (OF1), Nick Hundley (C6 Th-4), Yasmani Tomas (10 hits, and Yasmani Tomas (1B2) hope the ball goes the 2 walks, L+12 R-6, 1-5-5- other way. Playing Hundley, in particular, may hurt 6) also contributes plenty the team. of power. There’s a great platoon with SNT Andrew Benintendi (11 hits, 3 Rich Meyer’s 2016 team lost 100 games for the 1st time in franchise history. This walks+22, 5 0s, L-13 R+5) after dropping 98 games in 2015. They are and Abraham Almonte much improved for 2017, but still will have (10 hits, L+2 R-3, 5 0s), trouble staying in contentionSomewhere around the .500 mark seems likely. but they can cover only Blackmon: Stellar

122 The 2017 TBL Annual Bench: 3.0 Some flexibility. zion: Realignment

Like Mr. Beard, who plays every game with 25 zion of ELDERS players, the Sensei like to use his bench to the best advantage. He has some flexibility among the regu- Before realignment, the Elders was a fix- lars, as large shifts sometimes force regulars to the ture in the Mantle Division, which has pine. In addition, T.J. Rivera (3 0s, 12 hits, 1 walk+22, provided some dominant teams in the L-12 R+7) offers a great pinch-hitting card against past, including the Elders. righties. Shin-Soo Choo (1-6, 8 hits, 4 walks+42+22, L+7 R-5) can hit against lefties. And Bruce Maxwell Between 2016 and 2017, things have (3 0s, 10 hits, 3 walks, L-10 R+3) may get to hit some, changed. Melrose has stepped back and but he fields as well as Hundley. Munich isn’t the same team that won the World Series last year. That would have left Zion fighting a likely losing battle with Hudson.

Third place is better than last place. With realignment, they’re facing Grand This is a much stronger Zion team than Cayman, Northboro, and rebuilding the one that lost 100 games in 2016. Warrenton. We at the Annual think the realignment is a wash. Even. At least the Sensei will have a chance to play games without the DH, which is a They may not contend for a playoff spot this year, part of the Zeitgeist of the new Williams Division. but the talent could develop quickly. Then again, with the Sensei rolling the dice, this team could surprise the two teams picked ahead of them. Most importantly, though, Mr. Meyer has this team head- Players born after 1990 (8): Bauer, Benintendi, ed in the right direction once again. Bundy, J. Gray, Lorenzen, Matz, C. Seager, Torreyes.

Players born from 1987 to 1990 (16): Almonte, Clemens, R. De La Rosa, Delgado, Gennett, Haniger, K. Herrera, Jansen, Marinez, B. Maxwell, Nelson, T. Rivera, R. Perez, Schugel, Szczur, Tomas.

TQ: 27.5 Seager: Hype equalled 9 The 2017 TBL Annual 123 2016 warrenton GIANTS in review

It was not a team built for a deep playoff run:

2016 in Review with 319 Ks and 15 CG. Jake Peavy punched Final Record: 86-76 (2nd, Clemente) way above his weight, going 12-3, 2.27; George You can fault Jack Chapman for some things, like Kontos recorded 30 saves. The team was out- his devotion to the San Francisco Giants (even in scored 672-668, so the five losses that turned into years where they’re not very good.) Offering a five wins is probably due to skilled field manage- player from their roster is often a good way to ini- ment. You can’t fault Mr. Chapman there either. tiate trade talks. Buster Posey, Joe Panik, Madison What went wrong? Bumgarner, Angel Pagan, Yusmeiro Petit, Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence . . . years and years ago, in another incarnation, Trader Jack tried to pry Matt This club plays to win, which might have been Williams loose from Maracaibo, with an offer that contrary to a grand plan in 2016 – they might was simply too much. have done well to perform worse. It was not a team built for a deep What you can’t fault him on is his playoff run: they didn’t score enough devotion to winning, the “right” runs, they hit only 134 homers and way, without resorting to American stole only 38 bases; the team ERA League rules. Warrenton continues was 3.70 – most pitchers were like to send out lineups without the Zimmermann (12-12, 4.25) or Buehrle DH; they won a TBL champion- (13-11, 4.32) than Bumgarner or ship that way, and managed an Peavy. Pedro Alvarez, the other big 86-76 record last year doing that. power source, hit 21 HR but struck Now there’s a TBL division where out 164 times. This was a .500 team. at least some of the teams, some Posey: Bright spot 3 Things of the time, will do the same: and those of us who don’t take an interest in that particular style can’t do much in the way of 1. Throwing in the towel. It was clear that the scoffing, since, well, Championship. They’ll be 2017 edition wasn’t going to be much better, playing this way this year too: but it probably and was likely worse. It was clearly time to won’t make much difference, as this is rebuild- take things apart. ing time in the Pacific Northwest. 2. But not everything. Lots of things are gone, What went right? and that which replaces them should struggle – which might have been started last year, but The Annual didn’t think they’d make it very wasn’t. But Posey, Bumgarner, Pence, Jones and a far in 2016, but the club surprised us with few others are still here. 86 wins and a playoff spot (though it was a quick exit). Buster Posey was again a bright 3. Prepare for next year . . . with a closer? The spot hitting .308-16-85, the best hitter on the opportunity to acquire Aroldis Chapman – no club. Adam Jones was fine as well (.272-32-85). relation, apparently – was too good to pass up. Madison Bumgarner hit .278 with 8 homers, He may have trouble with regular work this year, and in his regular position went 20-8, 2.24, but will definitely be part of the rebuild.

124 The 2017 TBL Annual warrenton GIANTS

Jack Chapman (9th year) This Giants team could win every one of their ace’s 34 starts and still lose 100 games.

Every once in a while, just to keep us hon- SNT: est, apparently, the Annual gets things wrong. Aroldis Chapman. Really wrong. Such was the case of last year’s prediction that the Warrenton Giants would fin- Part of the great exodus out ish 2016 in third place and out of the playoff picture. In our defense, we didn’t have them that of Riverwoolf, Chapman far out of the playoff picture, given the mediocre ended up in Trader Jack’s competition in the International Conference. hands. Chapman’s been one of the best closers since his rookie year So, the defending league champs went out and in 2012 — he’s already 16th all-time proved us wrong, winning 86 games and claim- in saves. ing the second Wild Card slot by a 10-game margin! Madison Bumgarner won 20 games. Adam Jones slugged 32 homers. They had just Turnover Rate: 51% enough support to outlast the competition, such as it was. (No other team in the conference came Arrived: Aroldis Chapman; Matt Duffy; Brett Eibner; A. close to .500.) J. Ellis; Ramon Flores; Dillon Gee; Conor Gillaspie; Johnny Giovatella; Nick Goody; Heath Hembree; Trevor May; Gregorio Petit; Albert Pujols; Adam Rosales; Denard Span; That the Giants were bumped from the playoffs Albert Suarez; Nick Tropeano; Chien-Ming Wang. in six games by a superior Calusa team was an afterthought. The effort to make the playoffs Departed: Jeremy Affeldt; Alexi Amarista; Mark Buehrle; showed off Mr. Chapman’s managerial skills to Carl Crawford; Mayckol Guaipe; Blaine Hardy; Omar make the best of he had to work with — all the Infante; George Kontos; Jean Machi; Michael Martinez; while playing without the DH. It also showed Jeff Mathis; Casey McGehee; Tyler Moore; Evan Scribner; Jon Singleton; Jake Smolinski; Rafael Ynoa. what a good manager and some luck can do with a decent team. Giants team could win every one of their ace’s 34 Pitching: 4.0 starts and still lose 100 games. It’s not likely, but It won’t be pretty. it’s also not outside the realm of possibility. The drop-off in grade and talent makes it seem like an earthquake separated the This version of the Giants has an ace and a closer two top pitchers from the every other team would love to own. But even rest of the staff. There will Trader Jack probably won’t send either of these two be no miraculous climb to a fine pitchers packing. Since both are still in their 20s, playoff spot this year. they represent the building blocks of the next great Warrenton team. And with some astute draft picks ROTATION. Madison and timely trades, that team may not be far off. Bumgarner (Grade 15 C+23) will feel the pres- The problem with this pitching staff, however, sure to win this year. If lies beyond these two keystone pitchers. This he struggles, this team is Bumgarner: Pressure

The 2017 TBL Annual 125 doomed. After his 34 starts, it 1-1-6-6) and Adam Rosales (8 hits, 4 falls to Nick Tropeano (Grade walks, 1-4-5-5, R-3) are the only 11 C-35 HR-26) and Albert four-power-number cards on the Suarez (Grade 8 C+22) for team. And they have 19 13s between just 25 more starts — which, them, so most days, there’ll be more we’ll point out, is less than a swings and misses than anything full season. These three are productive. Alvarez bats clean-up the only starters who can versus right-handed pitching. steal a hit without help. Others contribute power with better The rest of the rotation car- Alvarez: Power over speed contact skills, such as: Buster Posey ries the moniker “Pray for (10 hits, 4 walks, 1-0-0, L+4 R-3), Rain.” Righty Jordan Zimmermann Hunter Pence (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-6-6), Albert (Grade 5 C+23) and lefty Wade Miley Pujols (10 hits, 3 walks, 1-0-0, no shift), Wilmer (Grade 4) at least aren’t innocuous, Flores (10 hits, 3 walks+22, 1-5-6, L+11 R-7), which is more than you can say for and Adam Jones (10 hits, 2 walks, 1-0-0, L-8). Jake Peavy (Grade 3), Matt Cain (Grade Then there’s Brett Eibner (7 hits, 3 walks, 1-6-6, 3 HR-23), and Eddie Butler (Grade 1 L+4 R-5), who has a role vs. lefties. HR-26). This lot has to suffer through 103 starts. Most days, it won’t be pretty. Leadoff hitter Angel Pagan (10 hits, 3 walks, 3

warrenton GIANTS 0s, E30 for 19 attempts, L-4) represents the best BULLPEN. As mentioned above, speed on the team. Part-timer Johnny Giavotella this team has the dominant Aroldis (10 hits, L-6, 3 0s) at least has 10 hits. The final Chapman (Grade 25* HR+51, with three semi-regulars are just average: Joe Panik (9 KX strikeout letters). When he gets hits, 3 walks+22, 3 0s, L-6), Denard Span (9 hits, the chance, he’ll slam the door. The questions 3 walks, 3 0s, E25 for 19 attemots, L-8 R+2), and are: How many chances will he get and Will he Matt Duffy (9 hits, 2 walks+22, 3 0s). even be able to use up his 58 innings? This team favors power over speed. The lineup He’s set up, if you can call it that, by a decent features no 11-hit cards. It’s a mix-and-match Heath Hembree (Grade 12*) and his homer- lineup without many good options. As a result, prone cohorts: Dillon Gee (Grade 10* C+21 they’ll struggle to score runs when they aren’t HR-23), and Trevor May (Grade 8* C-21). rolling power numbers. It’s all well and good Together, they add 146 innings. Nick Goody to load up with players on your favorite team (Grade 8* C-21 HR-36), Chien-Ming Wang when your favorite team wins championships. (Grade 7* HR+21), lefty Enny Romero (Grade In other years, well, here’s what can happen. 7* C-62), and Yusmeiro Petit (Grade 6* C+33 Defense: 4.5 HR-31) contribute another 184 innings. It ain’t If that wasn’t bad enough . . . nearly enough. The bottom of the rotation may age five years over the course of the season. Offense: 5.5 The good news starts with All-World catcher Posey (C9 Th+3), who gets to play almost every Favors power over speed. day. Panik (2B9) plays versus righties, and Duffy (3B5, SS8) is the best on the team at both Like most TBL teams, the Giants have some those positions. All the outfielders are average power, but Pedro Alvarez (9 hits, 4 walks, L-7, (OF2) with mostly average arms, except for

126 The 2017 TBL Annual Pence (35). Pujols (1B3) and Rosales (2B7) will warrenton: at least make the easy Realignment plays, which is more than you can say about GIANTS warrenton Alvarez (3B3) or Flores (3B3, SS7). Warrenton comes from the Clemente Division, in which he If that wasn’t bad Posey: All-world battled Whitman year in and year enough, there’s out. In fact, one of those two teams Giavotella (SS6), who’s slated to play versus won the division since the Giants right-handers on the board game. entered in 2014. Bench: 2.5 You’d expect more. Realignment sends them back to the Williams Division, where they started life in their current incarna- The forgotten man in the team instructions tion, and where the franchise had appears to be Conor Gillaspie (10 hits, 2 walks, resided for fifteen years. The twist 1-3-6, L-7), who can also play the field (3B4, this year is that, due to Trader Jack’s 1B3). He’s joined on the pine by backup catch- devotion to National League base- ers Bobby Wilson (9 hits, 2 walks, 1-6, L+4 R-3, ball, the Williams is (to some extent) which is the exact same shift as Posey) and A.J. the “non-DH” division: some of the Ellis (8 hits, 3 walks+22, 2 0s). Both can field, teams have agreed among them- but have big negative arms. Gregorio Petit (9 selves to have their pitchers bat hits, 2 walks, 3 0s) can play almost everywhere, when they play each other. When the including short (SS8), so he’s a useful piece, but Giants won the World Series without using a you’d expect more from a team that plays with- DH, we stopped talking about it as a handicap. out the DH. In any case, they now have to face not one, but two playoff-bound teams in Grand Cayman and Northboro. And you can’t write off Zion, Coming off a league championship despite their 100-loss season in 2016. Overall, it and a playoff season, Warrenton will represents tougher competition for the Giants. have to suffer through 2017. There We score this a loss. are a few bright spots — such those 34 games MadBum starts — but they’ll have to survive Trader Jack is not exactly living up to the play in between. his moniker lately. His team definitely looks ready for a rebuild, yet players like MadBum and, especially, Aroldis Chapman, When the hits are rolling, they’ll be competi- who is completely superfluous are still here. tive, but they’ll need to continue their streak Chapman might leave at the midseason trading period for future considerations. of luck. Then again, Mr. Chapman has a World Series victory under his belt, and his teams have recently outperformed expectations. If Pedro Alvarez hits more homers than the errors he’ll make in the field, that will be a victory. TQ: 16.5

The 2017 TBL Annual 127 breakthrough

There are fringe players on TBL rosters right now who might be important players on rosters in 2018. Some of those names appear in the list below. Some won’t make it, but last year’s list included Corey Seager, Stephen Matz, Raisel Iglesias, Travis Shaw and Jerad Eickhoff in the top ten.

1 Aaron Judge, OF, Hoboken. 6 Jose Berrios, SP, Midwest. He’s already shown that he can Another Minnesota hurler for the stand up to the New York hype. If they Guru to watch develop. He had a rough keep throwing him fastballs, he’ll keep rookie season but should be lots better in hitting them to the moon. the coming one. 2 Andrew Benintendi, OF, Zion. 7 Joe Musgrove, SP, Riverwoolf. Trust the Sensei’s insights; he’s He jumped from AA to the majors landed a top shelf player who has all five last season, and injuries have made him tools and is showing them off every day a critical man in Houston. Success will in Boston. make this Riverwoolf pick look better. 3 Alex Bregman, 3B, Rye. 8 Josh Bell, 1B, Hoboken. He sprinted through the minors This power-hitting first baseman has and was clearly The Guy He Wanted for an excellent batting eye, and looks to make Mr. Musselman this year. He should have a big impact for the Pirates in 2017 and in a breakthrough season in 2017. Hoboken shortly after. 4 Dansby Swanson, SS, Northboro. 9 Orlando Arcia, SS, Maracaibo. The young shortstop will have His glove is already prime time, ample opportunity to develop with the and he’ll be given every opportunity to Braves, and Northboro can give him time grow into his position in Milwaukee – too reach his potential. and in Maracaibo. 5 Julio Urias, SP, Detroit. 10 Yulieski Gurriel, 1B, Midwest. Born in 1996, he was the youngest It doesn’t happen too often that player in the 2017 draft. Guys don’t get we project great things for a 32-year-old to the majors at age 20 unless they have first time carded player, but he may have great arms. great impact – a Cuban Ichiro, if you like.

Honorable mention: Tim Adelman, P, Rye; Jett Bandy, C, Knoxville; Aaron Blair, P, Melrose; Eddie Butler, P, Warrenton; Wilmer Difo, IF, Maracaibo; Jose Dominguez, P, Gotham City; Zach Eflin, P, Blue Hill; Brett Eibner, OF, Warrenton; Greg Garcia, 3B, Hudson; Mitch Haniger, OF, Zion; Donnie Hart, P, Hudson; Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Northboro; Seth Lugo, P, New Westminster; Daniel Mengden, P, Grand Cayman; Whit Merrifield, IF, Rye; Ariel Miranda, P, Detroit; Raul Mondesi, IF, Melrose; Omar Narvaez, C, Blue Hill; Jarrett Parker, OF, New Westminster; Tommy Pham, OF, Gotham City; Manny Pina, C, Blue Hill; Edubray Ramos, P, Rye; Cody Reed, P, Blue Hill; Joey Rickard, OF, Whitman; Ryan Schimpf, 3B, Gotham City; Braden Shipley, P, Midwest; Mallex Smith, OF, Rye; Brandon Snyder, IF, Las Vegas; Matt Strahm, P, Maracaibo; Trayce Thompson, OF, Melrose; Andrew Toles, OF, Hoboken; Andrew Triggs, P, Riverwoolf; Jose Urena, P, Brobdingnag; Luke Weaver, P, Strong City; Joey Wendle, 2B, Calusa; Tony Wolters, C, Whitman; Michael Ynoa, P, Whitman.

128 The 2017 TBL Annual future

Every year we look forward to see who might be the big names in the next draft. Sometimes these predictions are prophetic, and sometimes they fall short. Last year, four of our top ten were selected in the first round in 2017; we were a little disappointed that some of our names didn’t make it. You be the judge. Thanks – once again – to Rich Meyer for his help.

1 Cody Bellinger, OF, Los Angeles (N) 6 Manny Margot, OF, San Diego. A power hitter with skills at first Speed and defense are his game, base and the outfield, he’s cut down his and he has surprised in early play in swing and gotten more aggressive. 2017. He’ll be someone’s leadoff hitter next year in TBL. 2 Yoan Moncada, IF, Chicago (A). 7 Ian Happ, IF, Chicago (N) A high-ceiling strikeout pitcher, A switch-hiting infielder, he could he has his Tommy John surgery already become a 20-20 man in the majors. His behind him. He's back with a new team. future may be in the outfield.

3 Antonio Sentazela, P, Colorado. 8 Lucas Giolito, P, Chicago (A). A hard thrower who seems to be A high-ceiling strikeout pitcher, thriving at high altitude, he’s off to a he has his Tommy John surgery already good start in 2017. behind him. He's back with a new team.

4 Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh 9 Tyler Glasnow, P, Pittsburgh A left handed outfielder with a He throws very hard, and needs to sweet swing, he got to Triple-A at age 21, work on mechanics; but if he settles down and if he can stay on the field he’ll be a he’ll be a great part of someone’s rotation. serious impact player. 5 Gleyber Torres, SS, New York (A) 10 Clint Frazier, OF, New York (A) Part of the payment for Aroldis Part of the payment for Andrew Chapman from the Cubs, he may yet win Miller, he has great speed and raw power. the trade for the Yankees. He might be a 2018 star – but a top 2017 TBL pick.

Honorable mention: Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay; Ozzie Albies, IF, Atlanta; Jorge Alfaro, C, Philadelphia; Christian Arroyo, IF, San Francisco; Lewis Brinson, OF, Milwaukee; J. P. Crawford, SS, Philadelphia; Jose DeLeon, P, Tampa Bay; Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston; Josh Hader, P, Milwaukee; Brent Honeywell, P, Tampa Bay; James Hoyt, P, Houston; Trey Mancini, OF, Baltimore; Francis Martes, P, Houston; Hunter Renfroe, OF, San Diego; Victor Robles, OF, Washington; Amed Rosario, SS, New York (N); Justus Sheffield, P, New York (A); Eric Thames, 1B, Milwaukee.

The 2017 TBL Annual 129 editorial by Walter Hunt

Another year turns, and we’re still here. It’s a one year past the tragedy that ended career and continuing wonder that we manage to thrive life. But that’s the beauty of APBA, really: Willie in an environment that increasingly leaves Mays is young; Mickey Mantle’s alive and his APBA behind for shinier, faster, ostensibly more knees don’t hurt; Mark Fidrych is in 1976 for- appealing things. A number of years ago when ever. There is no curse, not in Boston and not the Game Company looked like it might go in Chicago; the Mets can be awful or amazin’, under we thought about doing our own cards, depending on the season; Drysdale can be a providing our own ratings, carrying on as if Giant and McCovey a Dodger if that’s what there were no obstacles to the continuation of someone wants. And it can happen now, or 20 our mutual hobby. years from now – the cardboard doesn’t care.

Of course there are obstacles; age, time, too The point I’m rambling around is that our card- many things to do that take priority. We lose board reality allows us to enjoy our favorite managers because they can’t do what needs sport in a way unknown by most sports fans, to be done to participate: this year it was the and engage in competition that tawdry rotisser- Taylor brothers, and as long-time members of ie players and daily/weekly stat gatherers sim- TBL they will be missed. Our Commissioner is a ply cannot imagine. Ours is a world where that non-playing participant for precisely this reason 35th guy matters, where middle inning relief and we’re glad to have him in that capacity if means something, where a good infield defense it’s what he can manage. can help win a pennant.

There are some departures that are unavoidable. Because this is so, we have built up a long We have not been touched, at least not recently, record of memories, of high points, of players with the loss of a friend in the league; there long since gone (into retirement, if not gone have been a few close calls, but it hasn’t hap- altogether). But for every favorite guy that has pened yet. It will, given our average age. I don’t departed, a new prospect appears, refreshing know what that will feel like, except that it will us with our annual draft. The realignment of not be pleasant. It will remind us how ephem- 2017, while disruptive, is probably good for all eral this all is, how it matters in the moment of us: it shakes us out of a rut we didn’t know but not otherwise – TBL is a series of memo- we occupied, and gives us new rivalries and ries and compilations of lifetimes: a promising new perspectives. But the game is the same, the rookie becomes a regular star becomes a griz- league persists, and we’re still here. zled veteran becomes a recollection. It is more so because we have imposed our own reality The game matters, and our friendships matter. upon the major league one, our players only Some stressful moments have threatened to tear cardboard representations of real people whose that apart, but cool heads prevailed and we’re lives only reach us a year later. This year, for still here. Enjoy 2017: it will never come again. example, Brobdingnag is starting not one, but two pitchers who are actually dead: Yordano Ventura and Jose Fernandez. Joke all we want, but this is their last card, just like Oscar Taveras and Steve Olin and a number of other players who lived on in this ethereal cardboard state

130 The 2017 TBL Annual commissioner’s report by Ray Murphy

So, how am I doing? As far as I know, nobody’s And that’s why I’m serving in this non-playing called for my impeachment, now a year into commissioner role: to maintain the ties of a my second stint in the commissioner’s chair. quarter-century with this group of guys, to keep a That’s a good sign, right? (Sorry if that’s too foothold in their community. on-the-nose for the times we live in.) In short, that’s why I am doing this. It was Seriously, though: my role as non-playing com- terrific to see so many of you that night, and I missioner has been, to this point, everything I appreciate your finding a role for me in your had hoped it would be. It’s fantastic for me to community. stay perched on the periphery of this league. In many ways, this non-playing commish gig While this gig is working out nicely for me, it’s is the equivalent of having box seats in the first also important that it work out well for the rest row behind home plate. I particularly enjoyed of you. Last season was rather uneventful in the opportunity to look over people’s shoulders terms of issues that bubbled up to my inbox. during the offseason trading period. Daniel’s That came as no surprise; you guys are quite big-splash entrance to the league, complete good about handling issues directly and resolv- with instant destruction of the Taylor boys’ ing them amicably. Still, don’t hesitate to loop roster core was something to behold. me in where needed. I don’t “rule with an iron fist”, but I am more than happy to smooth over Not to plug my other gig, but I wrote an article ruffled feathers as needed. for BaseballHQ.com back in March that re- ferred heavily to TBL: (it’s a free read) Thanks to Walter and the team at the Annual, who produce this one-of-a-kind publication ev- https://www.baseballhq.com/content/gms-office- ery spring. Thanks also to everyone who shares other-side-draft-day the work of keeping this league running so smoothly into its second quarter-century. Par- Key excerpt if you don’t want to go read the ticular thanks to Joe Auletta and the crew that whole thing: is working to put together the Arizona draft for 2018. I hope to see a bunch of you there! Driving home (from the TBL draft this past February), I realized something interesting: over -Ray the course of that evening, catching up with these longtime competitors and friends, we had actually talked very little baseball. I talked to guys about their recent loss of a parent, their children’s college plans, retirement timelines, the state of public education in our country, this year’s crop of chiles in New Mexico, and other topics even further removed from fantasy baseball.

The 2017 TBL Annual 131 scholarly update by Walter Hunt

A year has passed for Professor John L. Williams at were raised in the digital age, we unaware California State University in Sacramento, and his that these games existed. We provided team is still watching and studying TBL. I recently them an opportunity to play a couple of received an update from Dr. Williams regarding their innings of a 1860s dice baseball game fol- scholarship. lowed by a couple of innings of APBA, basic version. They were impressed with This rather long email is an update on the dedication of the TBL members to the presentations Chris Maben and I have their league. made this past spring based on the TBL Annuals. The Presentation at the The first conference, Summit on Popular Culture Association Convention Communication and Sport, was held in Phoenix, Arizona in late March. My coau- thor Chris Maben traveled to the confer- In general, this presentation described ence and presented the paper. This paper the contents of the TBL’s Annuals. A brief focused on the rhetorical style found in history of the league was provided. A the TBL’s Annuals. For example, teams printed, in color, copy of the one of the that had poor seasons or were expected annuals was also available for those in to have difficult seasons were described attendance to examine. The post presen- in positive ways. This was viewed as tation discussion focused on the com- ways in which the TBL Annuals are used plexity of the TBL’s simulation. Some of to building comradeship and league the topics mentioned included accuracy cohesion. He reports that during the of the league’s statistics, the creation of presentation some of the audience mem- an innocuous player category, and the bers went to the TBL homepage to check strategy of building down. things out. Those in attendance were impressed and grasped the complexity of Both Chris and I observed that many in the TBL’s simulation. attendance were unaware that APBA and the other tabletop sports games were still available and were the centerpiece of the The Lecture leagues. The other observation was that those who heard our presentations where fascinated that success in the league does As mentioned in a previous email Chris not result in financial rewards. Chris and Maben this semester is teaching a class I both emphasized that success produced about Media and Sports. He and I deliv- psychic rewards. ered a lecture about tabletop sports games with an emphasis on baseball simulations. We described the TBL’s structure and its history. Most of the students, because they

132 The 2017 TBL Annual The Next Set of Papers A member of the Philosophy Department with a specialty in Ethics suggested integ- rity as a potential ingredient. For the Chris and I are already drafting our next league to sustain itself it seems critical that papers. One paper will be devoted to its members trust each other to play fairly looking at how three teams have been (ethically). described in the annuals. The teams are Blue Hill, Las Vegas, and Whitman. They Another ingredient is dedication. A second were selected because they all joined the colleague with an interest in Organization league in either 1996 or 1997 and are still Communication thinks that concept of in the hands of their original owners. The meaningful work is a way of explain the focus will be on how their levels of suc- dedication aspect. The amount of research, cess are described. This language will be recording keeping, game playing, etc. cre- compared to a body of published research ates a baseball league simulation that TBL about how fantasy leagues participants. members see as enjoyable, which sounds Specifically, the words and phrases that like the concept of meaningful work. are used when discussing ability to draft a winning team.

The second paper will be focused more on In all our presentations we acknowledge simulation leagues and their constitutions. how grateful we are for your assistance. The focus will be on how the leagues, especially the ones that used APBA or other commercially available simulation games, structure themselves. We see this an example of the Uses and Gratifications theory. This will require us to argue that tabletop sports games like APBA are a form of mass media.

There is a potential third paper in the In our turn, we should be very grateful for these making. It is growing out conversations scholars’ interest in our league. Their focus on the with other colleagues at Sacramento State. more recent issues of this publication is obvious It will attempt to address the phrase when Dr. Williams remarks about our positive “secret sauce,” which has come up in the presentation of rebuilding teams – we are kinder Annuals. and gentler now! But the themes of trust and dedication – foundation stones of our long and cordial friendships – are accurate and extremely complimentary. When the papers are published we will try to make sure they’re available for league members’ perusal.

The 2017 TBL Annual 133 curse reversed: 2016 edition by Jim Dietz

One of these years the Cubs will win A pennant for all loyal fans; A city has waited over a century for this. Perhaps that time has become the present?

A pennant for all loyal fans Something Ernie Banks never received Perhaps that time has become the present For Cub fans to have their glory.

Something Ron Santo never received-- the recognition for outstanding achievement. For Cub fans to have their glory In a park with daylight baseball.

The recognition for outstanding achievement, Playing in the month of October In a park with night-time baseball Against an A.L. team.

Playing in the month of October The Windy City would be so happy for a win Against an A.L. team And all sins of years gone by will be forgotten.

The Windy City would be so happy for a win, (One of these years ...YES!!! the Cubs did win) And all sins of years gone by will be forgotten-- A city waited a century for this.

134 The 2017 TBL Annual

TBL

The Transcontinental Baseball League is a 24-team, continuous ownership APBA Baseball League that plays a 162 game season using the Master Board Game and the Computer Game. We play roughly twenty games a month from April through November. TBL uses an innovative, realistic pitching system and restricts players to real-life usage.

Our members are loyal, fun-loving and astute, and we have a high rate of retention. Now in our thirty-sixth season, our pennant races are always competitive and exciting.

TBL is always interested in adding backup managers to its roster. To get involved, send e-mail to our Commissioner, Paul Harrington, at

[email protected] or TBL’s unofficial recruiter and analyst, Walter Hunt, at

[email protected].